Is it good for children to drink coffee?

This is an automatically translated article.

1. What is coffee?

Coffee is a product made from harvested coffee beans that have been dried, roasted and roasted. Coffee products contain many ingredients: preservatives, flavor enhancers, sugar, milk in a certain proportion, but the most basic ingredient is still caffeine.
Coffee has a very strange and attractive taste, making many people excited. So why has coffee become such a popular drink? It is due to the effect of caffeine in coffee.

2. The mechanism of action of caffeine

Currently, there are some studies showing that caffeine is a substance that causes bitterness in coffee. In addition to providing energy, caffeine also stimulates, directly affects the brain, making the body feel more excited and alert.
Caffeine also contributes to the prevention of type 2 diabetes, stomach cancer, lung cancer and breast cancer. Other uses of coffee include treating headaches, lowering blood pressure, obesity, and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, to use caffeine in the treatment of disease, it is necessary to consult a doctor. Avoid arbitrarily using caffeine without regulation and special dosage for children.

3. The harmful effects of caffeine on children

Many studies have shown that drinking too much coffee can cause rapid heart rate, headaches, digestive disorders, high blood pressure, insomnia and fatigue. In particular, children may not be able to control their emotions from the effects of caffeine more than adults because their bodies are not yet fully developed to tolerate as much caffeine as adults. Here are some harmful effects of coffee on children:
No refreshment effect : Coffee has a diuretic effect and will cause children to urinate more without being able to rehydrate. No power supply. Coffee can make users feel more awake but does not bring nutritional value to the body. In fact, coffee can cause insomnia and make people feel more tired the next day. Children can get energy by eating nutritious foods other than coffee. Mood and emotional disturbances. This has been concluded through many studies: caffeine causes children to fall into a state of anxiety, extremes, restlessness and hyperactivity. Some studies have also shown that doses of 100-400mg of caffeine/day are enough to cause these states. Anxiety, restlessness or excessive excitement is not good for children. They will become destructive, inattentive and close to ADHD in children. Changes in taste and smell. Children will not lose their sense of deliciousness and interest in common foods. Instead, they will have the habit of preferring caffeinated foods and drinks. This is also understandable because it is like a stimulant, they will directly affect the child's brain. In fact, regardless of whether the food is delicious, nutritious or not, makes the body healthy or not, as long as they smell and taste from caffeine, children will love it. This sensory-altering effect will cause children to reduce their appetite, often only prefer to eat sweets, making children more susceptible to malnutrition or other diseases. Sleep problems. Many studies have shown that children who consume caffeine experience problems with sleep disturbances. Caffeine raises blood pressure and causes anxiety in children and in turn leads to sleep problems. Caffeine is also the cause of attention deficit hyperactivity and difficulty concentrating in children;

Addictive . If adults have a habit of drinking tea or coffee in the morning or at night, it may increase the risk of headaches. Likewise with children. Giving children coffee every day is definitely a bad habit, children will be addicted and very difficult to quit; Low nutritional value. A cup of coffee contains low levels of nutrients. Instead of giving children coffee, milk or fresh fruit juice will be a more scientific choice to help children stay healthy and improve their resistance; Increase sugar intake. Coffee contains a large amount of sugar. The child's body absorbs too much sugar, which will lead to tooth decay as well as obesity or malnutrition, nutritional imbalance; Decrease calcium in bones. The more caffeine, the greater the amount of calcium excreted in the urine, making the blood calcium lower. This also causes the amount of calcium in the bones to decrease sharply, causing rickets, malnutrition, short stature, and low birth weight. Children are at the stage of development, need to load a lot of nutrients as well as provide the necessary amount of calcium, now coffee is the direct cause of calcium deficiency in children's bones. Increased urination. Coffee is a diuretic. This means that drinking more coffee causes your baby to urinate more, leading to dehydration, loss of calcium through the urine. Stomach problems. The digestive system in general and the stomach of children in particular are not yet fully developed, so they cannot be equipped with caffeine processing substances. Therefore, even very small amounts of caffeine can lead to stomach problems and heartburn. In short, coffee does not bring nutritional value to children but also has many harmful effects if children drink it regularly. Therefore, we need to minimize the exposure of children to coffee or caffeinated products. Instead, give your child other drinks that are healthy and have high nutritional value. In particular, adults should avoid exposing children to coffee from an early age and encourage them to use healthy products.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.