Study: Caffeine Consumption Linked to High Blood Pressure in Teens
By Jane St. Clair
Too much caffeine can raise a teen's blood pressure, according to a new study from the Medical College of Georgia. The study, which was published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, found that consuming more than 11 milligrams of caffeine a day could increase systolic blood pressure by 6.0 in some teens.
Many experts are concerned about the popularity of new highly caffeinated "energy drinks," and some believe the drinks should carry warning labels. Energy drinks have between 50 and 100mg of caffeine, compared to 20mg in a cup of tea, and 80mg in a small coffee.
Dr. Margaret Savoca, author of the new study, noted that hypertension is on the increase, and that the percentage of adults with high blood pressure rose from 50 percent in 1994 to 55 percent in 2004.
Comments
This can't be good news -- as Starbucks cups & Red Bull cans seem to be almost as common as iPods in the hands of many teens today.
The American people seem to do a great job when responding to an immediate threat or the aftermath of a disaster -- but even in the face of overwhelming evidence, we seem to be much slower to do something about problems that we know we're going to face "down the road."
There's an old saying that "you have to grow old, but you don't have to grow up" -- but if trends like obesity and hypertension continue to spiral in our children, I'm afraid many of 'em might not have the opportunity to do either.
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