Energy drinks is the latest danger at home for kids: Study

The latest danger to children are energy drinks, according to a new study from the American Heart Association.

In new research presented at the American Heart Association's annual meeting, researchers from Michigan looked at 5,156 calls to poison centers between October 2010 and September 2013 that involved energy drinks.

In most of the cases, the parents didn't know the children had gotten hold of an energy drink. Many of the calls reported the children were experiencing serious side effects, such as an abnormal heart rhythm, or they were having a seizure.

They found that most were for children less than 6 years old, who got into the drinks accidentally--and a third had serious problems that needed treatment, such as seizures, heart rhythm problems, chest pain, or vomiting.

Study author Dr. Steven Lipshultz has handled cases involving children who became sick after consuming energy drinks.

Lipshultz said he believes the number of cases associated with energy drinks and children are higher than what's reported in this study. That's because parents of children who get sick after consuming too much caffeine do not always call the hot line; they may go straight to the emergency room instead. The study did not look at those numbers.

"The reported data probably represent the tip of the iceberg," Lipshultz said.

"This is a very concerning finding," said Dr. Laurence Sperling. Sperling is the medical director of the preventive cardiology clinic at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta. "It further points out that we need to be very responsible about who utilizes energy drinks, because they are potentially harmful to adults, but as this report points out, may be of greater concern to those who are young."