NEW ORLEANS — There are three things that teens and young adults are consuming in abundance, that may seem to be safe.
After all, they are legal, you can buy them easily and they are even on the grocery store shelf, but doctors are warning they can have long-term health effects.
They are quick, easy, and cheap. They taste good, and even give you pleasure, but at what cost, especially to teens and young adults still developing?
Number 1: Do you know how much caffeine your children are taking in? How much is OK? A new study finds many parents don't know.
It mostly comes from soft drinks, but also chocolate, coffee, and tea. Too much harms physical, and mental health.
Caffeine is a drug that stimulates the brain and nervous system. And brains are still developing until the mid-20s. Caffeine can affect mood, sleep, and school performance, causing insomnia, headaches, irritability, and nervousness. It constricts blood vessels. You can also become dependent. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages all caffeine use.
“If your child needs a Monster, or some type of energy drink to get going, like a Red Bull then something's wrong, either they're not getting enough sleep at night,” said Dr. Corey Hébert, pediatrician and WWL Medical Correspondent.
Number 2: Another study finds strong evidence that eating a lot of ultra-processed foods is associated with a high risk of heart disease death and common mental disorders. There are already signs of problems in three-year-olds. Packaged, processed foods like chips, candy, cereal, lunch meats, and nuggets raised the risk of obesity, sleep disorders, type 2 diabetes, and depression. As much as 67 percent of U.S. youths eat diets mostly from ultra-processed foods.
“I think that ultra-processed foods, and that's also processed meat in my opinion, is really one of the biggest health hazards in this country,” said Dr. Hébert.
Number 3: Gaining in popularity are ZYN pouches, and flavored oral nicotine patches. Hundreds of millions have watched TikTok videos on it.
Nicotine is addictive. It speeds up your heart and constricts blood vessels. When you don't get it, you can become irritable, depressed, and anxious with cravings that can interrupt sleep, increase your appetite, and cause cognitive, and attention deficits. Dr. Hébert says there’s also one more hazard.
“You are going to have gum disease. That's the first thing. The second thing is that we know that sometimes this gum disease can lead to cancer.”
Nutrition experts say it's best to eat foods from the outside aisles of the grocery, where all the whole foods are found.
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