Youngsters consuming coffee in greater numbers
By Allison Aubrey, NPR
Energy drinks tend to get a bad rap. The Food and Drug Administration has investigated reports of deaths and sickness linked to them. Hospitals have reported increased ER visits. And on Capitol Hill last summer, senators grilled energy maker execs about marketing to kids.
But when it comes to caffeine intake, teenagers seem to be getting far more caffeine from coffee drinks.
A new report, published in the journal Pediatrics, finds that 17- and 18-year-olds are consuming almost double the amount of caffeine from coffee compared with a decade earlier. And increasingly, younger tweens and teens, ages 12-16, are getting more caffeine from coffee, too.