A growing number of US teenagers are using caffeine pouches to get an energy rush, say experts who worry the trend could soon take off in the UK.<\/p>\n
The small teabag-like pouches, placed between the lip and gum, deliver a quick caffeine hit, straight to the bloodstream.<\/p>\n
Some social media influencers are pushing products, recommending them to gym-goers for performance or to students who want to be alert for exams.<\/p>\n
TikTok Shop sells lots of brands and flavours that could appeal to young people, says Dr Rob van Dam from George Washington University.<\/p>\n
But with a single pouch containing as much caffeine as two cups of regular coffee, it could be easy to take too much and get bad side effects, he says.<\/p>\n
There is already growing concern in the UK about young people using nicotine pouches or snus.<\/p>\n
Caffeine pouches are also discreet – you may not be able to tell if someone has one in their mouth – making it easy to hide from parents and teachers.<\/p>\n
Some fans of the product boast online about \u00ab\u00a0buzzing\u00a0\u00bb from using two pouches at once for an extra big caffeine rush.<\/p>\n
As caffeine is rapidly absorbed, the effects may begin minutes after ingestion and last for a number of hours. Levels can go out of control.<\/p>\n
Dr van Dam told BBC News: \u00ab\u00a0Young people may have less tolerance to caffeine and there’s a chance they could end up in the emergency room if they have too much.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
Caffeine is a stimulant that can make you feel more alert and less sleepy due to its effect on the brain and nervous system.<\/p>\n
Lewis James, from the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University, says there is good evidence that caffeine can help make exercise feel easier.<\/p>\n
It’s become one of the most regularly used supplements among athletes.<\/p>\n
As you exercise your body produces a chemical called adenosine which makes you feel tired. Caffeine blocks the adenosine receptors in your nerves, so your brain perceives less pain and fatigue.<\/p>\n
But it acts on other parts of the body too – including the cardiovascular system – which can be risky.<\/p>\n
High levels can cause a rapid heart rate, abnormal heart rhythms and seizures.<\/p>\n
Although rare, there are documented deaths from excess caffeine.<\/p>\n
Some people are more sensitive to caffeine than others and can feel nauseous, anxious and irritable, and get headaches even at lower doses.<\/p>\n
Generally, up to 400mg of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most healthy adults – that’s around four cups of instant coffee.<\/p>\n
Tea contains a bit less, so five cups a day is usually fine.<\/p>\n
Pregnant women are advised to halve daily intake to 200mg or less.<\/p>\n
Children and teenagers are also more susceptible to the risks and potential for an overdose.<\/p>\n
This is why energy drinks containing over 150mg of caffeine, for example, are already required by EU law to carry labels stating: \u00ab\u00a0High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women\u00a0\u00bb.<\/p>\n
Dr van Dam says it can be easy to overload. Caffeine is found in many drinks and some foods, so it is important to check how much you are consuming.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0While it’s harder to overdose on coffee, with these products it’s easier, especially if young people are using energy drinks too.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
He says some products, when you check them in the laboratory, contain more caffeine than they claim on the labelling.<\/p>\n
Dentists say using them over time can irritate the gums – similar to snus and nicotine pouches.<\/p>\n
Some experts worry caffeine pouches could be a gateway to using these.<\/p>\n
Bini Suresh is head of dietetics at the Cleveland Clinic, London, and a spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association.<\/p>\n
She says using pouches may feel \u00ab\u00a0trendy\u00a0\u00bb or harmless, but there’s a real risk of normalising stimulant use in teens and young adults, potentially creating patterns of dependency.<\/p>\n
She told the BBC: \u00ab\u00a0While caffeine may give a temporary boost, it can disrupt sleep and worsen fatigue over time, especially in children and teens who are more sensitive to its effects.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
If young people are going to have caffeine, the BDA and NHS both advise caution.<\/p>\n
The European Food Safety Authority suggests 3mg\/kg body weight as the upper limit for children and adolescents, meaning a child weighing 30kg should have no more than 90mg in a day.<\/p>\n
Instead of reaching for caffeine, Ms Suresh says it’s far better to focus on regular meals, hydration and nutrient-rich foods that support steady energy levels throughout the day.<\/p>\n
A healthy diet with enough iron, protein and slow-releasing carbohydrates should do the job, she says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A growing number of US teenagers are using caffeine pouches to get an energy rush, say experts who worry the trend could soon take off in the UK. The small teabag-like pouches, placed between the lip and gum, deliver a quick caffeine hit, straight to the bloodstream. Some social media influencers are pushing products, recommending […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9018","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9018"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9018\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}