No one needs caffeine. This might seem hard to believe, since many adults say they need caffeine to make it through the day. However, caffeine is not a necessary part of anyone's diet. Let's take a look at the facts.

• What is caffeine?
• How does it work?
• Why do people like caffeine?
• What is the downside of caffeine?
• How much is too much?

What is caffeine?

Caffeine is a natural chemical, which means that it is found in nature and then put into products. Caffeine is in coffee beans, tea leaves, cola nuts (which give cola its flavor) and cacao plants (which are used to make chocolate).

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How does it work?

Caffeine is a stimulant, which means that eating or drinking caffeine makes you feel more awake and alert. Caffeine gives people artificial energy, meaning it is not the healthy kind of energy that someone would get from a good night's sleep. Instead, it is energy from a chemical.

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Why do people like caffeine?

Drinking a caffeinated drink can make someone feel more awake. If a person did not get a lot of sleep or feels tired in the morning, a cup of coffee or can of soda can temporarily give that person an extra boost to feel more energetic.
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What is the downside of caffeine?

Caffeine might make you feel more awake, but it can also have some negative (bad) effects on a person's body.

• Caffeine is a diuretic. A diuretic makes you have to urinate (pee) more than normal, and you can become dehydrated if you do not also drink plenty of water.
  
• You can become addicted to caffeine. This doesn't mean you won't be able to stop using it, which is what can happen with cigarettes and drugs. However, you might feel that if you don't have your morning cup of coffee, you won't make it through the day. If someone is used to drinking coffee every day, it is hard for him or her to go a day without it.
  
• If someone is deprived of his or her usual dose of caffeine, they may get one or more of the following symptoms:
  • Nausea
    
  • Headache
    
  • Stomachache
    
  • Tired
• If someone has too much caffeine, they can get overly energetic and jumpy. They may not be able to concentrate or sleep well at night.
  
• It is harder to fall asleep after having caffeine late in the day. If someone doesn't get a good night's sleep, he or she may feel tired the next day and feel like they need even more caffeine. This is a bad cycle!
  
• Caffeine can also be bad for the heart, because it makes the heart beat faster. If someone has a heart problem, it can make the heart beat too fast and work too hard. It is not good for your heart to beat faster than normal.

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How much is too much?

The experts say that a child who is 7 to 9 years of age should not have more than 63 mg of caffeine a day. This is about 16 ounces of soda (one can of soda is 12 ounces). Children 10 to 12 years of age should not have more than 85 mg of caffeine (about 22 ounces of soda) per day. Your parents may want you to have even less.

It can be hard to stop drinking caffeine once you have started, so it is best for kids to drink other beverages. Drinks like water, milk and juice are also much healthier for you than soda in other ways, such as having less sugar and more nutrients.

Learn more about caffeine, and view a chart of the caffeine content in some common food and drinks at www.kidshealth.org/kid/nutrition/food/caffeine.html. You might be surprised at how much caffeine is in your favorite food and drinks!

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