How old is the child to drink coffee?

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Medical Video: Are Kids too Young to Drink Coffee

In the past, coffee was a drink that was identical to adults who had a myriad of activities. However, at this time you can find lots of coffee shops everywhere. This coffee shop offers various types of drinks with basic ingredients of coffee that taste delicious on anyone's tongue, even teenagers and children. Because at the present time drinking coffee has become part of the lifestyle, not a few teenagers and children who have started drinking coffee. Then there was the concern of parents about children who drank coffee. Can children actually drink coffee? To find out the answer, read on and complete the information below.

What levels of caffeine are safe for children?

Basically, it is the caffeine content that causes coffee to be a risky drink for children. Caffeine is a natural stimulant that can be found from various sources, such as coffee, soda, energy drinks, and tea. The function of this stimulant is to help you stay awake and energized.

Coffee is one of the drinks with the highest caffeine content. In one cup of coffee, there is about 95 milligrams of caffeine. Meanwhile, experts suggest that children do not consume caffeine more than 45 milligrams in one day. That means that just one cup of coffee exceeds the level of caffeine that a child can consume in a day. Even though, as mentioned earlier, caffeine is not only found in coffee. Your child may also consume caffeine from soda or tea on the same day.

Side effects of drinking coffee for children

Not only children, adults can experience various side effects of drinking coffee. In adults, the risks involved include diarrhea, abdominal pain, insomnia, and anxiety. However, in children, the impact of drinking coffee can affect growth and health in the long run. Here are some side effects that may be experienced by children who drink coffee.

Insomnia

Children under five to 12 years need to sleep for at least 11 hours a day. Adolescents ages 12 to 18 must sleep about 10 hours a day. This sleep time is needed so that every body function works properly. If the child drinks coffee, caffeine is still stored in the child's body for up to 8 hours afterwards. So when it's time to sleep, the child is still awake and doesn't feel the urge to rest. Their sleep hours will be disrupted while children usually have to get up early to get ready for school. Because of lack of sleep, they will look for coffee again the next day to increase stamina and alertness. This cycle will continue until it causes the child to have trouble sleeping or insomnia at night.

Hyperactivity

For adults, the effect of coffee on adding energy can be a very helpful thing for carrying out daily work. However, children who drink coffee will show behavior that is restless, unable to concentrate, and hyperactive. This is because children are far more vulnerable to caffeine than adults.

In addition, children are also still more difficult to control themselves than adults. As a result, if children drink coffee and they have to sit to concentrate listening to lessons in class all day, they will also show behavior that is hyperactive. If not consumed even on school days, coffee will also make children anxious and unable to keep quiet. Instead of being vigilant, children may even be less careful in their activities.

Interferes with calcium absorption

Caffeine is a substance that can interfere with the absorption of calcium in the body. Coffee containing caffeine is diuretic, which triggers urine production. The faster the urine or urine is released by the kidneys, the more calcium that has not been absorbed by the body is wasted. In fact, calcium is needed by children to form strong bones and teeth. Lack of calcium risks inhibiting a child's growth and causes problems such as cavities.

Reducing appetite

Coffee is a stimulant drink that will adversely affect children's appetite. Meanwhile, children in their infancy need a variety of nutrition from food. So, be careful if your child has difficulty eating but likes to drink coffee. In addition, coffee can also cause digestive disorders in children with symptoms of nausea or abdominal pain. This will make the child less appetite.

Dependency

If your child often drinks coffee, the caffeine content can trigger dependence. Over time, children must drink more coffee to help them stay awake. Drinking too much coffee, risks causing a variety of long-term disorders such as heart disease or nerve damage. This risk is even higher if coffee drinking habits have started early.

What age can a child drink coffee?

Basically there is no official standard from certain health agencies to know from what age children should drink coffee. However, based on consideration of the risks posed by coffee for children, you should not accustom children to drinking coffee before children turn 18 years of age. This was also voiced by an American nutritionist, Andy Bellati, who encouraged children and adolescents under the age of 18 to avoid coffee. According to Andy Bellati, coffee that needs to be avoided is not only black coffee, but also various types of coffee-based beverages such as milk coffee, cappuccino, frappuccino, latte, and its kind. You should also pay attention to the caffeine levels consumed by children through soda, tea, or energy drinks.

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How old is the child to drink coffee?
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