Sean and Heidi Cripe will never forget the call from their son’s high school saying Davis was being taken to the emergency room.
asserted
Davis → forget → room
“He chugged an energy drink — like, just trying to be cool,” said Sean Cripe, recounting the day nearly a decade ago.
asserted
Cripe → chug → day
The teen’s heart soon fell out of rhythm and he died.
asserted
he → fall → rhythm
While such deaths are rare, doctors across the country have warned for years that energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine that can seriously harm children, causing problems such as abnormal heartbeats, increased heart rate, sleep disturbances, dehydration, agitation, high blood pressure and seizures.
asserted
that → warn → heartbeats
A newly formed coalition of doctors is highlighting these risks in the wake of a sponsorship deal between Monster Energy and the Big 12 Conference college athletic organization.
asserted
coalition → form → Energy
The group has asked conference leaders to pause the sponsorship and the NCAA to review energy drink marketing to youths in general, citing the deaths of three children including Davis, a 16-year-old from South Carolina.
asserted
NCAA → ask → Carolina
The doctors stress that they’re not just concerned about Monster but all energy drinks and any similar partnerships.
asserted
they → stress → Monster
“Kids are going to see energy drinks now promoted by the universities and the athletes that they admire and want to emulate,” said Dr. Matthew Nelson, an Idaho cardiologist involved with the effort.
asserted
Nelson → go → effort
“The kids will think of them as sports drinks, which they’re not.”
asserted
they → think → drinks
Too much caffeine can harm kids in many ways
Various medical groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, say children and teens should avoid energy drinks altogether.
asserted
children → harm → drinks
According to the latest results of the federally funded Monitoring the Future survey, run by the University of Michigan, 23% of 12th graders, 20% of 10th graders and 18% of eighth graders reported consuming energy drinks daily.
uncertain
% → accord → drinks
Depending on the product, caffeine content can range from 80 to 300 mg per serving.
asserted
content → depend → serving
By comparison, a typical 8-ounce coffee contains about 80 to 100 mg and some sodas contain 50 mg or less.
asserted
sodas → contain → mg
Overall, the pediatrics academy recommends children ages 12 to 18 limit caffeine to 100 mg a day.
asserted
children → recommend → mg
Younger kids are discouraged from consuming any caffeine.
asserted
kids → discourage → caffeine
Caffeine and other stimulants increase heart rate and the reactivity of the nervous system – basically “how fast things go in the body, which can create an overload of the system,” said Dr. Tamara Hannon, an Indiana pediatrician who chairs the academy’s nutrition committee.
asserted
who → increase → committee
She likened it to running a blender until the motor heats up too much.
asserted
motor → liken → blender
“The same thing can happen when you deliver stimulants to people,” she said.
asserted
she → happen → people
“The heart can wear out, the nervous system can go haywire and you can have really serious consequences.”
asserted
you → wear → consequences
While such cardiovascular dangers are real, Harvard Medical School experts say there’s no scientifically valid evidence behind the common belief that caffeine can stunt a person’s growth.
asserted
caffeine → say → growth
Mixing different types of caffeine can be risky
asserted
Mixing → mix → caffeine
Children with preexisting conditions such as high blood pressure are at especially high risk, Hannon said, but even healthy children who get too much of a stimulant can have serious problems.
asserted
who → say → problems
That includes young athletes.
asserted
That → include → athletes
Another consideration: Kids often drink various types of caffeinated beverages.
asserted
Kids → drink → beverages
That was the case with Davis Cripe, who died in 2017.
asserted
who → die → 2017
According to the coroner at the time, Davis had no prior heart condition and drank a Mountain Dew and a latte from McDonald’s earlier in the day.
uncertain
Davis → accord → day
He experienced arrhythmia after having the energy drink.
asserted
He → experience → drink
It wasn’t the first time Davis drank one, although he didn’t consume them regularly.
asserted
he → drink → them
“We had talked to him and let him know that they weren’t healthy,” Sean Cripe said.
asserted
Cripe → talk → him
“We didn’t understand they could be deadly.”
uncertain
they → understand → ?
Trade group says the energy drink industry tries to protect kids
asserted
industry → say → kids
The American Beverage Association — which includes Monster and other companies comprising 94% of the energy drink category — said members voluntarily disclose caffeine totals on product labels, which carry advisories such as: “Not intended for children, pregnant or nursing women, or persons sensitive to caffeine.”
asserted
which → include → caffeine
Members also don’t sell or market energy drinks in K-12 schools.
asserted
Members → sell → schools
Monster Energy said in a statement that caffeine and other drink ingredients are found in a broad range of food products.
asserted
caffeine → say → products
“Mainstream energy drinks have been marketed worldwide for more than 30 years and more than 100 billion energy drinks have been sold and safely consumed globally,” the company added.
asserted
company → market → years
The deal between Big 12 and Monster calls for a co-branded logo on football and basketball jerseys, fields and courts, and across digital and social media channels.
asserted
deal → call → channels
“The energy drink category is not new to collegiate athletics,” the Big 12 Conference said in a statement, adding that beverage companies are always looking for ways to reach sports fans.
asserted
companies → say → fans
The NCAA doesn’t have the authority to regulate conference or school sponsorship agreements, Dr. Deena Casiero, the association’s chief medical officer, told the doctor group in a letter.
asserted
Casiero → have → letter
She said the association offers schools educational resources on caffeine and student-athlete health, and caffeine has been a topic of interest for an NCAA committee, which recently commissioned a cardiac advisory group.
asserted
which → say → group
How to educate kids about excess caffeine
To protect children, teachers and coaches can educate them about the dangers of too much caffeine and the difference between energy drinks and sports drinks, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
uncertain
teachers → educate → Control
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
