School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, NY.
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2019 Jan;58(1):36-45. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2018.06.030. Epub 2018 Oct 22.
Caffeine use is common in children and adolescents, but the recommendations for safe consumption are based on decades-old data collected exclusively in adults. Increased availability of caffeine-containing products and a concerted marketing effort aimed at children and adolescents, has increased interest in understanding the physiological, behavioral, and psychological effects of caffeine within this population. This manuscript provides a review of the literature concerning trends and safety of ingested caffeine in children and adolescents.
A search of the National Library of Medicine database was conducted using the terms caffeine, children, adolescents, and safety, in addition to tailored searches on specific topics using combinations of search terms such as energy drinks, cardiovascular, mood, cognitive, mental health, sleep, and regulations.
The majority of the literature reviewed here suggests that typical, moderate caffeine consumption in children and adolescents is relatively safe, but that higher doses of caffeine consumption (>400 mg) can cause physiological, psychological, and behavioral harm, in particular in subgroups of children, such as those with psychiatric or cardiac conditions. More attention is being paid to the potential adverse effects of both acute and chronic caffeine use, and additional regulations surrounding the sale and marketing of highly caffeinated beverages are now being considered.
More research is needed to fill in gaps in our knowledge, including understanding the relationship between caffeine use and initiation of other substances, such as cigarettes, alcohol, or marijuana, identifying individuals at risk for caffeine toxicity, and developing harm-reduction strategies.
咖啡因在儿童和青少年中很常见，但安全摄入量的建议是基于仅在成年人中收集的几十年前的数据。含咖啡因产品的供应增加以及针对儿童和青少年的集中营销努力，增加了人们对了解该人群中咖啡因的生理、行为和心理影响的兴趣。本文综述了有关儿童和青少年摄入咖啡因的趋势和安全性的文献。
使用国家医学图书馆数据库，使用术语咖啡因、儿童、青少年和安全性进行搜索，此外还使用特定主题的定制搜索，例如能量饮料、心血管、情绪、认知、心理健康、睡眠和法规，使用搜索词组合进行搜索。
这里回顾的大多数文献表明，儿童和青少年典型、适度的咖啡因摄入相对安全，但较高剂量的咖啡因摄入（>400 毫克）会导致生理、心理和行为伤害，特别是在某些儿童亚组中，例如那些有精神或心脏疾病的儿童。人们越来越关注急性和慢性咖啡因使用的潜在不良影响，并且现在正在考虑围绕高咖啡因饮料的销售和营销制定更多规定。
需要进行更多研究以填补我们知识中的空白，包括了解咖啡因使用与其他物质（如香烟、酒精或大麻）的使用之间的关系，确定易受咖啡因毒性影响的个体，并制定减少伤害的策略。
