Energy Drink For Children?

Duff Wilson of the New York Times writes an excellent piece on a drink called Spark, which is a stimulant drink geared towards children ages 4-12 years old. The drink has the amount of caffeine equivalent to a cup and a half of coffee. Many people are concerned, not only about the caffeine, but about the precedent. "I am concerned about gateway substances," said Frank Uryasz, president of the National Center for Drug Free Sport. "I think it develops a mindset especially among young athletes that they have to take something -- a powder, a pill, a liquid -- to improve their performance, when actually study after study shows that almost all of these products add no value to a young person's athletic performance. Ads for the product talk about the ability of the product to improve athletic performance. Children are a growing market in the energy drink/sports drink market. Gatorade, POWERade, Sunny Delight and Capri Sun all have their sports drinks in childrens sizes. According to the newspaper, Advocare has 175 adult athlete endorsers including San Diego Chargers quarterback Drew Brees and Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair. The company sells vitamins, skincare products, meal replacements and workout drinks.