“Caffeine candy and gum:
No child left behind,
Not recommended for children
or persons sensitive to caffeine.
Does that mean everyone?”
~ Cynthia G. Creel
April 30, 2013
My story:
I never really liked jelly beans until Jelly Belly made them with real flavor. I could eat handfuls at a time 5 oz. just disappeared right before my eyes. I loved the tangerine flavor. The truth was I really didn’t care which flavor, I just loved almost all of them. I grew up chewing gum because it was recommended by my dentist and I loved to chew it also.
Not the same candy or gum:
Just add a little caffeine to candy or gum and now you have a “sports” jelly bean (1 oz.) and “sports” gum (one stick) with about 40 or 50 milligrams of caffeine per serving. How many servings will each person eat 1... 2.… 3... 4... 5... Who knows especially if the person is a child or teen.
According to the Jelly Belly site (1) these new candies would be great to help out in a work out. This is the description from the site:
“When your workout needs a little more kick, there's Extreme Sport Beans. Each serving contains 50 mg of caffeine, about the same amount in a half a cup of brewed coffee, along with Sport Beans' clinically proven formula of carbohydrates, vitamins and electrolytes. The delicious mix of Watermelon, Cherry and Pomegranate flavors will keep you refreshed throughout your exercise.
This case contains 24 1-oz bags of Assorted flavor.”
Nutrition Facts
Jelly Belly - Sport Beans
Top of Form 1
Servings:
Bottom of Form 1
#Calories 100 Sodium 80 mg
Total Fat 0 g Potassium 40 mg
Saturated 0 g Total Carbs 25 g
Polyunsaturated 0 g Dietary Fiber 0 g
Monounsaturated 0 g Sugars 17 g
Trans 0 g Protein 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Vitamin A 0% Calcium 0%
Vitamin C 10% Iron
The sports gum is marketed similarly as a helpful item and “recommended for adults” However children can pick one up and purchase it. The Wrigley’s website (3) list this description and facts about the new product:
“2013 In April 2013, Wrigley will introduce Alert Energy Caffeine Gum in the U.S., an "on-me" energy solution that gives consumers the power to control how much caffeine they get.
The Right Energy, Right Now."
Alert™ Energy Caffeine Gum is an energy product for adults who consume caffeine for energy and are looking for a portable solution that lets them control their caffeine intake.
*One piece of Alert Energy contains about as much caffeine (40mg) as ½ cup of coffee.
Moderate your daily caffeine intake. Not recommended for children or persons sensitive to caffeine.”
Caffeine zero calories big effect, many studies:
Both of these companies seem to be down playing the significant of the effects of caffeine. There are many studies for many years on the effects of caffeine both affecting adults and children. It seems there is more of a negative affect physically and emotionally on children as seen by a recent study from the Journal of Pediatrics(2) studying children, teens and young adults that there was no health benefit to Energy Drinks that contain high levels of caffeine. The manufacturer claims that these drinks are nutritional supplements so it is not necessary to limit the amounts of caffeine the same as a soda and the safety testing and labeling needed on pharmaceuticals. Marketing was aimed at risk taking youth who have developing tendencies combine to increase intake of the drinks to an overdose level. These drinks leave children with a strong risk for health effects do to exposure of high levels of caffeine, taurine and guarana.
Another study (4) examine caffeine use before, during and after pregnancy and the effects upon the baby found there was no added risk of to delivery, miscarriages or premature births. The researchers found there was an increase risk of lower birth weight, smaller head size when the level of caffeine reached more then 300 mg per day.
One more study showed a strong possible link between caffeine and childhood depression. The study concluded that children that were depressed consumed more caffeinated drinks than children non-depressed children.
Another study (5) found out of 228 children the parents reported that their younger group (5 to 7 year old) consuming about 52 mg of caffeine per day and the older group (8-12 years old) drank 109 mgs of caffeine per day with a negative effect on sleep. The researchers noted that the Spanish speaking parents reported fewer bed-wetting than the parents that spoke English.
Child friendly caffeine dispensed:
The studies seem to be non ending and all that I looked seemed to have a negative for children from the low birth weight, depression connection, sleep deprivation, or possible over dose. It seems we do not need another source of caffeine that is child-friendly like soda. If one ounce of jelly beans holds 50 mg more than a half a cup of coffee, the question is how many ounces can a child eat with or without a parent’s permission.
The companies are not hiding anything they are stating the facts and saying this is for adults or people in sports not recommending it for children. Who will be there to stop a child from buying them and eating them? They buy candy and gum all the time and when they grow older it seems they eat and drink more. (5)
Final words:
Once I started on the Path of True Health I change, that was easy compared to protecting my children from themselves and others who thought it was necessary to feed them soda with sugar and caffeine or what they thought was a good idea. I mostly see an overwhelming affect for adults, young or older, teens or children from this new “treat. I see no way to protect our children well. I do not see most children able to use there partially developed brains to make an fully developed adult decision. Many children are easily influence and have the “I want” thought first and only.
I see a negative downward spiral forming and sucking in all in it’s path leaving us all unprepared in a negative each day. With the ones doing best who have the ability to say no. Yes, there is a positive in all of this a new market created and a way for companies to gain more profits. If the energy drinks had not been so profitable other companies most likely would not be jumping on the band wagon.
Discover a new world. Help yourself, help the world, step on to the Path of True Health and vote with your dollars to create a world you will love to live in. I do, and I like the world I am helping to create. Together we can create a better life for all to remember over their entire life time. Together we can protect what we have so we don’t need to live in a world that is second rate.
By Design ~ “Life is good By Design”
Photo creation by Cynthia G. Creel all rights reserved ©2013
all rights reserved ©2013 written permission is needed to duplicate
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of By Design or Cynthia G. Creel. Consultation of a medical professional is highly recommended before any changes are considered. This article is not saying anyone person in a leadership position is unhealthy or healthy, it is just a possibly of many and is only speaking in general terms. .Note: No company mentioned in this article is considered to serve “healthy or unhealthy” food, any examples given was only used as an example of how business works though their history and public information. The focus is only to help explain a idea. Statements and conclusions of any study authors that are presented are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of Cynthia G. Creel or any means the information is published. There is no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability.
The article can also be seen on
lifeisgoodbydesign.blogspot.com or facebook.com/itisbydesign
Please subscribe to lifeisgoodbydesign.blogspot.com at blogspot.com
Don't forget to like this page: facebook.com/itisbydesign
Share with a friend.
Sources:
(1) http://www.jellybelly.com/Shop/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=72604
(2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3065144/
(3) http://www.wrigley.com/global/brands/alert-energy.aspx#panel-3
(4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4000371
(5) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21867528
(6) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21167501
No comments:
Post a Comment