Most carbonated beverages contain caffeine, which is considered to be a mild drug and can have harmful effects, especially on children.
Soft drinks today – both ‘colas’ and many noncolas – have caffeine added to them as part of the recipe. Coca-Cola was at one time made from syrup that contained extract from cola nuts (a natural caffeine source).
The children’s major source of caffeine was soft drinks. Soft drinks are the most consumed caffeine-containing beverage in America. Caffeine is a drug that acts as a stimulant to the central nervous system.
In the late 1800s, entrepreneurs began selling flavored carbonated beverages with added caffeine. Original claims for promoting use of these products appealed directly to the stimulant pharmacology of caffeine.
The contribution of soft drinks to total caffeine consumption is significant. According to the study (Gilbert 1984) the United States per capita consumption of all soft drinks increased by 231% between 1960 and 1980, with the major part of this increase attributed to caffeinated sodas.
Leading caffeine-containing soft drinks accounted for 85% of the soda market in the early 1980s.
Large amounts of caffeine consumption can cause diseases and disorders such as insomnia, nervousness, anxiety, irritability, and deviations from the normal heart rate.
In 1994, there was a study published that children ages eight to twelve warning that , although caffeine may improve children’s attention to detail and their manual dexterity, it also increase their anxiety.
Caffeine is an addictive substance, which causes consumers to need more caffeine. A major concern about caffeine is that it increases the excretion of calcium in urine, which increases the risk for osteoporosis in heavy caffeine consumers.
Some preliminary studies show that caffeine increases the risk of birth defects. Evidence suggest that a level over 500 mg a day, caffeine may delay conception.
The amount of caffeine in soft drinks varies and it usually isn’t listed on the beverage container. In general, most have 30 mg to 50 mg per ounce serving – half that of an 8 ounce cup of coffee.
In the United States, coffee and soft drinks are the major dietary sources of caffeine. The Food and Drug Administration limits the amount of caffeine that can be added to soft drinks to 0.2 mg per mL or 71 mg for a 12-oz serving.
Caffeine in soft drinks
