Forget soft
drinks. Children are taking a greater liking to sports and energy
drinks, but these may not do their health any favours.
Several
recent studies in the United States have highlighted the rising
popularity of these drinks among youth as well as the health
dangers linked to them, sparking concern from health experts and
parents.
These
beverages may not be suitable or even necessary for them,
especially young children.
Sports
drinks, for instance, are designed to provide glucose for energy
and to replace water and minerals lost through perspiration,
especially for those who sweat profusely.
"The concern
with sports drinks is that they are consumed routinely by youth who
do not sweat or exercise much," said Dr Ang Poon Liat, a consultant
paediatrician at Thomson Paediatric Centre.
"In this
case, they are no better than taking regular soft drinks."
But
consumers, including young people, are snapping up these drinks.
Sales of energy drinks rose by 53 per cent from 2007 to 2012 in the
US, in contrast to declining sales for most other sugary
drinks.
Meanwhile,
calls to poison centres related to energy drinks shot up, from 672
in 2010 to 3,028 in 2013. Six in 10 calls involved people who were
18 or younger, according to a study published in the international
journal Nutrition Reviews in April. The youngsters had complained
of seizures, delirium and irregular heartbeat after consuming
energy drinks.
Another
study, involving 1,649 students aged 11 to 14, found that those who
took energy drinks were 66 per cent more likely to be at risk for
hyperactivity and inattention. The study was published in June in
the Academic Pediatrics international journal.
The trend is
similar for sports drinks. About one in five youth up to 17 years
old in the US consumes sports drinks at least once a week,
according to separate research published in May.
There is no
equivalent data for Singapore. Yet, the concerns are similar, say
experts, as sports and energy drinks are freely available to young
people here as well.
Experts agree
that plain water should be enough for most active schoolgoing
children.
This applies
even to those involved in sports co-curricular activities (CCA),
said Dr Ang.
"Under normal
circumstances, sports CCAs and games are brief activities. Fluid
and energy replacements are not necessary," he said.
"After the
activity, a catch-up replacement with tap or mineral water is
adequate."
Sports drinks
may be useful for school athletes engaged in vigorous sports for
more than an hour, said Ms Phuah Kar Yin, principal dietitian at KK
Women's and Children's Hospital.
Examples
include basketball, netball, badminton and tennis.
"Even then,
sports drinks are recommended only during training or competitions,
as they do not provide any benefit when consumed outside of
training time," she said.
The danger
lies in the hidden sugar in these products, which can cause
unwanted weight gain.
For instance,
Ms Phuah pointed out, sports drinks contain up to 8 per cent of
carbohydrates.
It does not
help that some parents are confused by the touted health benefits
of such drinks.
A US study
released in March by the Rudd Centre for Food Policy and Obesity
found that more than 25 per cent of 982 parents polled considered
sugary sports drinks to be "healthy".
These
parents, who have at least one child between two and 17, said they
were sold on nutritional claims on the packaging.
Singapore
housewife Emma Chng, 42, told Mind & Body that she would prefer
her 10-year-old daughter to take sports drinks instead of other
popular soft drinks, especially on hot days.
"Most canned
drinks are not considered healthy, but one has to choose the lesser
of two evils," she said. "Sometimes, kids just want to drink
something flavoured. I try to encourage my daughter to have fruit
juice or herbal tea."