How many years can you drink coffee for children?

Sometimes you can hear from teens 11-12 years old that they adore and regularly drink coffee. Is it known to young amateurs mocha that each serving contains a solid dose of caffeine, sometimes reaching 95 milligrams? Is early admission possible to a strong, refreshing tone drink? For decades, mankind has been looking for an answer to the question of how many years it is possible to drink coffee for children.

Sources of caffeine

For most children, parents forbid drinking "for vivacity" until 11-17 years (adolescence). However, there are a lot of different sources of caffeine, which are very popular among the younger generation.

For example, 300 ml of "Pepsi" contains 38 milligrams of excitatory substance; 500 ml Lipton Pure Leaf (bottled tea with ice) - 60 milligrams; Bank of energy drink Red Bull - 80 milligrams. There is it in chocolate sweets. Do moms and dads worry about how much caffeine their children use daily? Or do they think this is the norm?

How many years can you drink coffee? So you want to try faster! The effect of a cup of morning coffee is familiar to many adults: the head becomes clear, there is a rush of vivacity. "Until I miss a cup of coffee, my brains are like cobwebs," some admit. It sounds tempting. But is it harmless?

Wake up and sing

Caffeine is a natural stimulant. In different quantities it contains coffee, tea, chocolate. Nevertheless, this substance is included in a number of drugs. With its help stimulate mental activity, affect the cardiac contractions ("the motor works like a clock"), activate blood circulation.

"Nourished" with caffeine, we continue to stay awake at night. True, sometimes (this effect is familiar to avid drink lovers), the cherished portion causes overexcitation, a "storm in the stomach" (upset stomach), a feeling that the heart does not beat, but pounding. And these are only visible manifestations. Judging by the information, the question, how many years you can drink coffee, is far from idle.

Scientists do not know exactly what the consequences of caffeine use by children are. What happens to the cardiovascular system of eight? Or with their brains? These questions were asked by Judith Owens, director of the Center for the Study of Sleep Disorders in patients at the Boston Children's Hospital.

Less pepsi, more coffee

How many years can you drink coffee? After conducting a series of studies, she came to the conclusion: there is no reason justifying the child's early acquaintance with coffee, more precisely, with the stimulant contained in it. And yet the future of America continues to absorb the alkaloid of the purine series with drinking and eating.

The results are staggering: 73 percent of young US citizens (2 to 22 years old) consume caffeine every day. The first studies (1999-2000) showed that 63 percent of the observed patients receive it together with their favorite soda water (Pepsi, etc.). In 2009-2010, the indicator fell to 38 percent.

Decrease is wonderful, if not for one "but". At the same time, the number of people dependent on caffeine in coffee (from 10 to 24 percent) and energy drinks (from zero to 6 percent) increased. The total amount of caffeine consumed remained stable: from 60 to 80 mg daily for a dozen years.

Caffeine consumption rates

When they say, "Too much caffeine," then you want to know how it looks in numbers. There are different opinions. For example, experts from the Ministry of Health of Canada, having studied the topic, determined the norm of consumption for adults with "Olympic" health - no more than 400 mg per day; For pregnant women (nursing) women - 300.

And the children? How much caffeine does it not hurt? 4-6 years - maximum 45 mg; 7-9 years - 62.5 mg; 10-12 years - 85 mg. For older, but far from adulthood, the recommended maximum is 2.5 mg per kilogram of body weight (note, it is calculated as a medicine).

In her popular scientific journal article, Judith Owens wrote that, by reducing drowsiness, caffeine helps a student or a student to perform a complex and voluminous homework. At the same time, she urged parents to pay attention to the reverse side of the medal, before recklessly advising someone, from how many years to drink coffee.

Do not hurry, wait

Initially, the pulse of energy is pleasing, but later on they let you know about side effects, such as increased irritability, even aggressiveness, problems with falling asleep. Many consumers experience coffee dependence. No wonder: for some parameters, caffeine is suitable for describing narcotic substances.

In 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics formulated and published an important appeal to the nation. Doctors insisted that beverages containing caffeine should in no case be included in the menu recommended for children and adolescents. Most Russian scientists are in solidarity with colleagues.

Yes, tea and coffee are so common that it is difficult to find a family in which they are not drunk. You can often hear how, sipping cappuccino, adults, glancing at the nearby crumbs, discuss, how many years can you drink coffee with milk to children?

If weakly boiled tea pediatricians are allowed to give the child almost from birth, then they recommend that they familiarize themselves with coffee for years to come; If the child is three or four, then at least ten years.

Coffee with milk

There is an opinion that in 13-14 years the organism of the child is "pulled up" to the adult by the level of maturity. It's time to answer the question: how much and with how many? You can drink coffee with milk to children in the volume of one or two mugs - that's the answer. Agree, milk is more familiar to the child's body and softens the taste and impact of a new drink for a teenager.

How many years can you drink coffee without milk? Everyone decides for himself. But it's worth remembering that the drink has a diuretic effect, which means it helps wash away important microelements from the body. It's no secret that coffee drinkers are recommended to drink plenty of water (up to 2 liters a day), and also take care of replenishing the stores of useful substances necessary for normal life.

It is impossible to recommend such a child: growing organs and so work in a tense mode. Is it worth it to artificially create "coffee" stressful situations when there is a laying of the foundation of health for a long life? Of course, do not scare children with "terrible, harmful coffee", but you can and should explain the precautions for using it.