Health

The Teen Coffee-Drinking Trend

(CBS4) Forget the shopping mall. Today, the hottest teen hangout is the coffee shop where students toss back everything from espressos to lattes, but at what risk? Dr. Mallika Marshall tells us some doctors are getting the jitters over the teen-coffee connection.

"I get a caramel macchiato," says one Newton senior. "A pumpkin spice latte" is the choice of a Winchester middle school student. Another 7th grader prefers a "decaf caramel frappaccino."

There's something new brewing before and after school these days -- students heading straight to the local Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts for coffee and conversation.

"I drink one cup a day, sometimes more if I get a craving," says one senior. "I live off coffee, I guess," says Kate, a Winchester junior.

The number of teen coffee drinkers has increased 25 percent in the past two years. Part of this trend is the social aspect, but there are other reasons. "I like the taste and the caffeine," says Newton senior Ariel.

Another student says, "It keeps me awake. I'm in a stressful time right now… college applications."
Good news for coffee companies, a big concern for health care providers.

"You certainly can be addicted," says Dr. Esther Israel, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Israel says that there is no research on whether caffeine affects a teenager's brain differently than adults. Teens who get too much coffee will experience similar side affects such as sleep problems and feeling hyper.

Many teens prefer the blended drinks like frappaccinos or lattes and that raises yet another red flag among doctors.

"I do think teenagers and adults need to be aware of all the fat and the sugar in the caffeinated drinks that they are consuming," says Dr. Linda Nelson, a pediatrician and Franciscan Children's Hospital.

For example, a Starbuck's grande caramel frappaccino has 430 calories. It also has 10 grams of saturated fat, which is half the recommended daily intake. A Dunkin' Donuts coffee coolatta with cream runs 350 calories with 14 grams of saturated fat. "Drinking that three of four times a day is contributing to the obesity epidemic in America," adds Nelson.
Health experts say if kids insist on drinking coffee, they should ask for decaf and skim milk to cut down on the stimulation and the calories.

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