Caffeine consumption common among children, study finds

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Caffeine consumption common among children, study finds

About 75% of children age 5 to 12 consume caffeine each day, according to a

study posted online Dec. 15, 2010, in The Journal of Pediatrics.

Researchers from the University of Nebraska Medical Center surveyed parents of

201 children on their offspring's caffeine consumption during routine clinical

visits to an urban outpatient pediatric clinic. Parents were asked to report the

type and amount of snacks and beverages their children consumed daily.

Researchers found that children age 5 to 7 consumed an average of 52 mg of

caffeine per day. The figure was 109 mg each day -- the equivalent of almost

three 12-ounce cans of soda -- for children ages 8 to 12, according to the study

(www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21167501).

Caffeine intake was not linked to bedwetting. But researchers found that the

more caffeine children ingested, the less they slept. The authors recommend that

physicians screen children's caffeine consumption when evaluating behavioral

health concerns.