Title: Energy Drinks
Feed: CWKN #390, June 18, 2008
Time: 1:29
SUGGESTED LEAD: RESEARCHERS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO HAVE FOUND A LINK BETWEEN TEENS WHO CONSUME A LARGE QUANTITY OF HIGH ENERGY DRINKS AND RISKY BEHAVIOR.  IS IT THAT THESE DRINKS CAUSE RISKY BEHAVIOR? OR IS THAT KIDS WHO CONSUME THESE DRINKS TAKE MORE RISKS? THE JURY IS STILL OUT….  NONETHELESS NUTRITIONISTS SAY THESE DRINKS ARE RISKY IN ANOTHER WAY.  THAT STORY IN TODAY’S CONNECT WITH KIDS REPORT.
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NARR:  THERE ARE NOW OVER A DOZEN SO-CALLED ‘ENERGY DRINKS’ ON THE MARKET.

KIDS HAVE THEIR FAVORITES. (:06)

SOT: Hunter, 13 years old
“I’ve had the Rockstar.”

SOT: Will, 13 years old
“Monster, Rooster Booster.”

SOT: T-J, 14 years old
“Sobe’s Adrenaline Rush.”

SOT: Corrissa, 16 years old
“It tastes very good.  It gives me energy.”

NARR:  ACCORDING TO SOME OF THE MARKETING MESSAGES, ENERGY DRINKS MAY IMPROVE PERFORMANCE IN SCHOOL OR IN SPORTS. (:05)

SUPER:  Elizabeth Redmond, Ph.D., Nutritionist (:20)
“They do kind of imply they’re sports drinks, but a sports drink like Gatorade or something would hydrate you.  And these drinks have a lot of caffeine, and they’re actually going to cause you to have a diuretic effect and can dehydrate you.”

NARR:  AND WHILE THE CAFFEINE IN MANY OF THESE DRINKS IS THE SAME AS AN AVERAGE CUP OF COFFEE, AND CAN GIVE KIDS A BOOST… A COUPLE HOURS LATER, THEY CRASH. (:09)

SUPER: Luke, 12 years old (:41)
“Yeah if I drink one I might be kind of hyper for a while and then I’ll be like ‘ehhhh’ and get real tired.”

NARR:  EXPERTS ADD THE SIDE EFFECTS OF CAFFEINE ALSO INCLUDE LOSS OF APPETITE, MOODINESS, HEADACHES, NAUSEA, AND DIFFICULTY SLEEPING.

AND WHILE THERE HAVEN’T BEEN ANY LONG TERM STUDIES ON THE EFFECT OF REGULAR CAFFEINE USE BY KIDS, (:13)

SOT: Elizabeth Redmond, Ph.D., Nutritionist
“Once you get used to the caffeine boost you’re going to want to keep getting it there but it’s just not a healthy lifestyle that you want to get into.”

NARR:  EXPERTS SAY PARENTS SHOULD TEACH KIDS CAFFEINE CAN BE ADDICTIVE, AND THAT IF THEY’RE LOOKING FOR BETTER PERFORMANCE, THERE’S A MUCH BETTER WAY. (:08)

SOT: Elizabeth Redmond, Ph.D., Nutritionist
“And getting enough sleep, being hydrated and eating a healthy diet would be the three biggest things you’d want to look at if you wanted to get more energy to do better at sports.”

SUGGESTED TAG:   FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS TOPIC, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.CONNECTWITHKIDS.COM