ABC News reports that doctors are expressing concern about new sports drinks called Spark and KickStart Spark, which contain caffeine and stimulants and is being marketed to kids and teenagers.
“This is shameful marketing," Madelyn H. Fernstrom, associate professor and director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Weight Management Center, tells ABC. "Under the guise of 'good health,' this is a promotion of caffeine consumption, which will likely have a biological effect on most children who consume it, since their intake is low."
The manufacturer of the product, Texas-based Advocare, told ABC that it does not grant interviews about its products.
“This is shameful marketing," Madelyn H. Fernstrom, associate professor and director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Weight Management Center, tells ABC. "Under the guise of 'good health,' this is a promotion of caffeine consumption, which will likely have a biological effect on most children who consume it, since their intake is low."
The manufacturer of the product, Texas-based Advocare, told ABC that it does not grant interviews about its products.
- KC's View:
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Speaking as a parent, we have to say that these kinds of products seem way over the line – and not just because the kids don’t need to be absorbing these levels of caffeine and stimulants.
These products are absurd because they play into our society’s driving need to turn their kids into super athletes or super students or super whatever…mostly because their neurotic parents have a desire to live vicariously through their kids’ achievements.
And at this point, we’re going to engage in a little ritual Barry Bonds bashing. It is a short leap, in our opinion, from being a four year old taking this kind of stuff into his or her system to growing up to become a professional athlete who cannot perform without the help of things like steroids. It is a cheat when they are kids, and it is a cheat when they are adults.
What is really criminal is that those four year olds aren’t buying this crap for themselves. Their parents are buying it, and giving it to them.
