Kids Drink Less Soda - More Coffee and Energy Drinks

Caffeine intake from soda among children has dropped by 24 percent according to a new study headed by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

That would be good news if the study did not also indicate that the amount of caffeine kids get from other caffeinated drinks like coffee and energy drinks has risen by about 20 percent since 2000.

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that while caffeine intake has not increased significantly in children over the past decade, the sources of caffeine for children is migrating away from sodas towards a greater preference for coffee and energy drinks.

Researchers from the CDC analyzed caffeine consumption trends in children and adolescents from 1999 to 2010, finding that while soda consumption -- and thus caffeine consumption from soda -- has dropped from 62 percent to 38 percent, caffeine intake from coffee and energy drinks covers these losses.

What this data shows is that U.S. children are developing a preference for drinks primarily thought of as "adult drinks" intended to help keep a drinker awake and working.

Social implications of this shift were not discussed within the Pediatrics publication of the study, but other recent studies offer evidence that suggests early use of energy drinks among adolescents raises the chances of a drug or alcohol habit developing later in life.

Most adults are not unfamiliar with the idea of a caffeine addiction born from a dependency on the stimulant to stay awake. These studies suggest that the earlier in life a person become comfortable or accepting of such an addition, the more likely they will resort to taking up other addictions to cope with problems in daily life.

While the study published in Pediatrics doesn't go nearly as far to suggest such a thing, it does provide conclusive evidence that the introduction of energy drinks in our society has indeed encouraged an alarming shift in child caffeine sources away from sodas and towards more "mature" drinks like coffee and energy drinks.

The study was published in Pediatrics on February 10.

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