Two Year Olds Are So Quiet...They Need Something

DadTalk reports:

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Would you give your 4-year-old a cup of fully caffeinated coffee? How about Red Bull?...

If you haven’t guessed, there is NO WAY IN HELL I’d ever give [my young son] caffeine – except for a little chocolate – while he’s a youngster. But that’s exactly what AdvoCare wants me to do, reports The New York Times.

AvoCare’s drink KickStart Spark, which reportedly tastes like Kool-Aid, is an attempt to get athletes ages 4-11 to consume more caffeine in a single serving than the 45 milligrams adults receive from a single cup of coffee. Considering as an adult I can barely handle 5-10 milligrams of caffeine each day, I can only imagine what the 60 milligrams a serving does to a toddler.

Once youngsters are fully addicted, they can upgrade to Spark, a sister drink for kids 12 and up. This drink contains a whopping 120 milligrams of caffeine, which is equal to almost three cups of coffee.

“It’s not just a caffeine delivery system; it has many more nutritional properties,” comes the lame explanation from Sidney Stohs, a company vice president....

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AdvoCare has responded to the New York Times:

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A recent article in The New York Times (9/25/05) incorrectly claims that the intent of AdvoCare is to market high levels of caffeine to children as a high-performance stimulant – a total misrepresentation of what AdvoCare is all about....

KickStart SPARK™ Smart Energy Drink, the product most in question by the New York Times, has been carefully researched as a safe nutritional drink for children. It contains vitamins and minerals essential for children’s balanced nutrition, especially important given that only about 10 percent of children in the United States get the daily recommended level of nutrition. As one of five nutritional products in the KickStart line, KickStart SPARK™ Smart Energy Drink is the only one that contains caffeine (60 mg) – at a level far below other common sources of caffeine like coffee (from 85 mg in regular coffee to 200+ mg in specialty coffees) and energy drinks with 80 mg in a single can. Sodas, tea, frozen yogurt, vitamin waters and chocolate products, as well as pain relievers and other over-the-counter medicines, are additional sources of caffeine....

[S]ubstantial research has been conducted on the effects of caffeine, and numerous sources such as the National Institute of Mental Health have reported that “overall, the effects of caffeine in children seem to be modest and typically innocuous.” For example, one-and-a-half glasses of iced tea or two cans of diet cola contain about 100 mg of caffeine – well above the 60 mg of caffeine in just one pouch of KickStart SPARK™....

[C]affeine is not a banned substance by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the International Olympic Committee or the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). It is a regulated ingredient, and AdvoCare fully supports such regulations....

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However, the response still doesn't explain why caffeine has to be there in the first place.

But wait, there's more:

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Become a Member now. ADVOCARE Members enjoy a whole world of benefits and potential.

For only $50 a year, Members receive countless benefits and features....

Receive 20% off every ADVOCARE product purchase you make. When you become a Member, you'll get 20% off the retail price on every great ADVOCARE product you buy. That's an amazing discount on world-class products that will help lead you toward a healthier lifestyle. Once you've purchased $250 worth of retail product, you've already paid for your Membership. Plus, the more you buy, the more discount you'll receive - up to 40%! Shop smart and become a Member today....

Earn income by sharing ADVOCARE products with your friends and family. Because ADVOCARE products work, you have an opportunity to earn extra income by sharing the products with your friends and family. You can earn income by selling products at the retail price to people you know, plus you can be a part of our amazing compensation program. Whether you're looking for extra cash at the end of the month, searching for a way to pay off debt or needing an exciting opportunity to generate substantial income, becoming an ADVOCARE Member is your first step to reaching your goals.

Take advantage of our award-winning DebtBuster System. Not only does ADVOCARE give you the opportunity to earn income, but we also show you how to use this income to truly achieve life on your terms. Our award-winning DebtBuster System is an amazingly impactful system that teaches you the principles of debt, money and investing, and how to use your "Momentum Money" toward your and your family's better future. This free program for ADVOCARE Members would cost hundreds elsewhere....

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This brought back very negative memories from years and years ago, when one day our friend Cam invited Daniel, Robert, and I over to his house but wouldn't say why. We ended up in an Amway presentation, hearing the same type of stuff about how Amway products will save the world, cure cancer, and promote world peace.

Someone's been drinking too much caffeine.

[OE 9/30/2005 - link to DadTalk corrected]

From the Ontario Empoblog