A study led by UNMC’s William Warzak, Ph.D., into caffeine consumption by children and the drug’s affect on sleep and bedwetting was highlighted by several national media outlets on Thursday.
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William Warzak, Ph.D. |
and CNN were among the major news sources that picked up the story on Thursday.
Dr. Warzak, professor in the Munroe-Meyer Institute, had his study published in the Journal of Pediatrics.
In the study, Dr. Warzak’s team found that:
- 75 percent of children they surveyed consumed caffeine on a daily basis; and
- The more caffeine the children consumed, the less they slept.
The authors also noticed that the older children drank more caffeinated beverages.
“Children between the ages of 8 and 12 years consumed an average of 109 mg a day,” Dr. Warzak said, “the equivalent of almost three, 12-ounce cans of soda.”
The researchers also found that caffeine intake was not linked to bedwetting in these children, which is contrary to a popular belief among many parents.