Energy drinks unfit for children

     LOS ANGELES, May 30 (Xinhua) -- The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) warned on Monday that children should keep away from energy drinks which may be dangerous for minors¹.

    The AAP urged young children and teens to avoid energy drinks entirely², saying routine consumption of sports drinks should be limited or eliminated.

    Energy drinks include such popular brands as Red Bull, AMP and Rockstar, the AAP said in a report.

    These drinks, the report said, tend to be heavily caffeinated, potentially having several times the level of caffeine found in a cup of coffee.

    In addition, manufacturers often add sugar and herbal stimulants³ such as guarana and taurine to the drinks, which are popular among kids, according to the report.

    "There's no place for energy drinks for kids," said report co-author Dr. Marcie Beth Schneider, an adolescent physician in Greenwich, Connecticut. "There's a place for sports drinks, but that place is very specific."The caffeine in energy drinks can lead to high blood pressure, high heart rate and insomnia⁴, she said.

    The other ingredients can boost the power of the caffeine, she said, adding that the drinks will have a greater effect on children because they're smaller than adults.

    "Kids don't need to have this," she said. "This is not something they should be drinking."Schneider declined to identify any energy drinks that may be better than others for kids who insist on drinking them. If kids use energy drinks because they're tired, she said, they should get more rest instead of chugging caffeine.

    Half of the nation's 5,448 reported caffeine overdoses in 2007 were in people under age 19, although it's not known how many of the cases were the result of energy drink consumption, according to statistics provided by the AAP.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 minors   

n.未成年人( minor的名词复数 )；副修科目；小公司；[逻辑学]小前提v.[主美国英语]副修，选修，兼修( minor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors. 法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had three minors this semester. 这学期他有三门副修科目。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

3 stimulants   

n.兴奋剂( stimulant的名词复数 )；含兴奋剂的饮料；刺激物；激励物

参考例句：

• Coffee and tea are mild stimulants. 咖啡和茶是轻度兴奋剂。
• At lower concentrations they may even be stimulants of cell division. 在浓度较低时，它们甚至能促进细胞分裂。 来自辞典例句

4 insomnia   

n.失眠，失眠症

参考例句：

• Worries and tenseness can lead to insomnia.忧虑和紧张会导致失眠。
• He is suffering from insomnia.他患失眠症。