Study find how common caffeine consumption is among youth

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A recent study by the National Center for Health Statistics found that during August 2021-August 2023, 62.6% of youth consumed caffeine on a given day.

The research studied more than 1,700 Americans ages 2 to 19 to estimate caffeine consumption among U.S. youth.

Data was collected through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from August 2021 to August 2023.

The study reported on average, youth consumed about 19 milligrams of caffeine in a given day and average intake increased with age.

According to the study, children ages 2 to 5 consumed an average of five milligrams of caffeine per day, while those ages 6 to 11 averaged 12 milligrams. Among youth ages 12 to 19, average daily consumption rose to 30.7 milligrams.

The study found that sweet bakery products were among the top two sources of caffeine consumed by youth on a given day. They ranked first for children ages 2 to 11 and second for ages 12 to 19, behind soda.

Inspire Health registered dietician Aleyna Besmar says parents and consumers may not always be aware of where caffeine is found.

"So the hard part is that nutrition labels are not required to put caffeine on their labels, so you could be misguided. You could have caffeine in energy drinks. Of course, there's caffeine and even like flavor packets of water, of candy, of mints," Besmar said.

Besmar said she often sees teen patients who turn to energy drinks as a stimulant.

"That's why teenagers tend to use it, because I think they're probably too sleep deprived. You know, they're doing too many things, too many sports, too many practices. They use it as a source of energy when it's basically fake energy, and you're not providing your muscles or brain with that source of carbohydrate, with their muscles, with protein that their body actually needs," she said.

Instead, Besmar encourages students to maintain a healthy, well-balanced diet.

"So I always teach a very balanced diet. So half of their plate in a perfect world, right? In a perfect world, your half a plate would be fresh fruits and vegetables. Protein, you would get the size of your palm and also the thickness. So average is about 20 grams per meal, and then the rest of their plate is carbohydrates depending on what their need is," Besmar said.

The findings highlight how common caffeine consumption is among children and teens, while nutrition experts continue to encourage balanced eating habits and awareness of hidden sources of caffeine.