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Shocking reports on Energy Drinks: Report
– Reported, October 27, 2012
Energy drink manufacturers do not accurately list the levels of caffeine in their drinks, a new report says.
Consumer Reports magazine measured caffeine levels in 27 energy drinks and shots, testing three lots of each product. The amount of caffeine found in the drinks ranged from 6 milligrams to 242 milligrams per serving, with some packages including more than one serving.
While caffeine can boost energy, it can also affect heart rhythms and increase blood pressure. Research suggests 400 milligrams is the maximum daily limit of caffeine for healthy adults. That figure is 200 milligrams for pregnant women, and 45 to 85 milligrams for children.
The drink 5-hour Energy Extra Strength had the highest amount of caffeine, while 5-hour Energy Decaf had the lowest, the study found.
The magazine also found that in five of the 16 drinks that reported caffeine levels, namely Arizona Energy, Clif Shot Turbo Energy Gel, Nestlé Jamba, Sambazon Organic Amazon Energy, and Venom Energy, the actual amount of caffeine was much more than what was listed on the labels.
Some of the energy drinks underestimated the amount of caffeine listed on the label by 20 per cent or more, says Consumer Reports deputy health editor Gayle Williams.
Eleven drinks did not list caffeine levels at all, which Consumer Reports suggested might be to protect companies proprietary blends.
According to a representative of the Monster Beverage Corporation, the company does not list levels because in the U.S. there is no legal or commercial business requirement to do so, and also because our products are completely safe, and the actual numbers are not meaningful to most consumers.
However, last week, the parents of a 14-year-old California girl filed a wrongful death suit against the company after their daughter drank two 24-ounce Monster Energy Drinks in 24 hours. According to an autopsy, the girl died of cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity.
A 24-ounce can of Monster Energy Drink contains 240 milligrams of caffeine, and the girls parents say the company did not warn about the risks of consuming the drink.
Consumer Reports says Monster Energy Drink is one of 17 products whose labels caution against consumption by children, pregnant or nursing woman, and those who are caffeine-sensitive. In addition, the company, along with eight others, recommends a daily limit.
Monster Energy Drink is also suspected to be linked to five deaths and a non-fatal heart attack in a report being investigated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Health Canada says it is moving energy drinks from the “natural health product” category to the food category. This means labelling will be mandatory and no drink will be able to have more than 180 mg of caffeine.
Two U.S. senators on Friday again called on federal regulators to close what they say are loopholes that allow energy-drink makers to sell products with additives and high levels of caffeine that the lawmakers say have not been proven safe.
The letter to the Food and Drug Administration from Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., comes after the agency said this week that it is investigating reports of five deaths in which the consumption of Monster drinks was cited.
Those claims say that people suffered adverse reactions after consuming Monster Energy Drink, which comes in 24-ounce cans and contains 240 milligrams of caffeine, seven times the caffeine in a 12-ounce can of traditional cola.
The FDA noted that the allegations, which date back to 2004, don’t necessarily prove the drinks are linked to the deaths.
In a letter Friday, Durbin and Blumenthal also cited a recent study in Consumer Reports that found several popular energy drinks contained significantly more caffeine than the listed amount, while others did not disclose the amount of caffeine they had.
The FDA caps the amount of caffeine in soda to 0.02%, but there is no such limit for energy drinks.
Durbin and Blumenthal asked the FDA to look into the interactions between caffeine and the additives that are often found in energy drinks. The also called on the agency to assess the risks associated with caffeine consumption by teens.
They noted that this is the third time this year they have asked the agency to assess the safety of energy drinks.
A representative for Monster Beverage said the company was not commenting on the matter. A representative for the FDA did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Earlier this week, Monster Beverage issued a statement saying that its products are and have always been safe. The statement came in response to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed in California by the parents of a 14-year-old girl who died after drinking two Monster Energy Drinks in 24 hours. The company said it does not believe its products are in any way related to her death.
This summer, New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman also issued subpoenas to energy-drink makers as part of the state’s investigation of the industry.
Energy drinks, which are often marketed at surfing and skateboarding contests and other sporting events, have grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. The top three companies â?? Monster, Red Bull and Rockstar â?? each logged double-digit sales-volume gains last year, according to Beverage Digest.
Shares of Monster Beverage, based in Corona, Calif., closed down nearly 3% at $45.86 Friday. They have lost more than 30% in the past three months and fell to a 52-week low of $40.06 on Tuesday.
The test results came as federal health officials probe recent reports that, since 2009, five people have died from consuming Monster Beverage Corp.s energy drinks. The Corona company said it is unaware of any fatality anywhere that has been caused by its drinks.
The Consumer Reports study and Monster investigation were cited in a letter from two U.S. senators asking the Food and Drug Administration to address regulatory loopholes and possible health risks related to energy drinks.
On Friday, Sens. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) sent the letter their third calling on the agency to look into the industry and its effect on children and teens. The lawmakers also requested more scrutiny of ingredients such as guarana, taurine and ginseng, which are often used in energy drinks.
The letter also sought better guidelines on energy drink classifications, claiming that companies often categorize the products as dietary supplements to skirt regulatory oversight but then market the items as beverages.
Even as caffeine-pumped products such as Four Loko and the AeroShot Energy inhaler spark health concerns, energy drink sales are booming. Last year, they soared nearly 17%, according to industry publication Beverage Digest.
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