Energy Drink Health Risk Warnings Needed According to Researchers
Published: September 26th, 2008 • Comments: 16
According to researchers at Johns Hopkins University, the labels of popular energy drinks, such as Red Bull and Rockstar, should contain warnings about the amount of caffeine they contain and the potentially harmful side effects they could cause.
In recent years, a number of different energy drinks have been introduced to provide an energy boost or as dietary supplements. They contain high levels of caffeine as well as other additives,such as taurine, ginseng and carnitine that act as stimulants.
Some of the more popular brands are Red Bull, Monster, Rockstar, No Fear, Tab Energy, Wired and Fixx. They are heavily marketed, especially to young adults, with slogans such as “Red Bull gives you wings” and others that compare the effects of the drinks to the use of drugs like cocaine.
The FDA does not currently require energy drinks to display warnings or limit the amount of caffeine they can contain. However, a report published in the September 24, 2008 edition of the journal Drugs and Alcohol Dependence calls for warnings to be added about the potential health risks energy drinks could pose.
Scientists from Johns Hopkins have spent years evaluating the effects of caffeine and the impact these high-caffeine energy drinks can have on a person’s health. While a typical 12 ounce soft drink has about 35 milligarms of caffeine, some energy drinks contain up to 500 milligrams. The researchers suggest that most consumers are unaware of the caffeine content in these energy drinks or about the potential dangers, and that information should be added to the product labels.
In addition, many of these drinks are heavily marketed in bars or for use in combination with alcohol, which could further increase the health risks for consumers.
Last month, an energy drink lawsuit was filed by the Washington-based consumer advocacy group, Center for Science, against MillerCoors involving their alcoholic energy drink Sparks. The lawsuit filed in the District of Columbia Superior Court alleges that Sparks contains unapproved additives and poses a health risk to consumers.
Similar alcoholic energy drinks sold by Anheuser-Busch as Bud Tilt and Bud Extra were removed from the market in June 2008 after a similar lawsuit was filed by state attorney generals and advocacy groups.
In August 2008, a study conducted by the Cardiovascular Research Centre at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in Australia found that energy drinks could increase the risk of strokes and heart attacks. According to the research, even consuming one can of the caffeinated energy drink Red Bull could cause the blood to become sticky, increasing the risk of clotting.
Pingback by Experts Petition FDA to Increase Energy Drink Regulations : AboutLawsuits.com on 22 October 2008:
[...] the FDA does not require warnings or information about the possible health risks of energy drinks. The regulatory agency also does not limit the amount of caffeine in these drinks, many of which [...]
Comment by MEGAN on 16 February 2009:
I USED TO BE AN ENERGY DRINKER UNTIL I FOUND OUT WHAT WAS IN THE DRINK AN AFTER A COUPLE HOURS THE CAFFINE WEARS OUT AN THE ENERGY YOU BURNT WAS BACK UP ENERGY AN NOW FIND YOUR SELF MORE TIRED THEN BEFORE AN YOU MUST KNOW THAT PEOPLE DO NOT FALLOW THE ONE A DAY RULE FOR THE DRINK SO THE EFFECTS ARE X2. AND ANOTHER THING I KNOW A 3 PEOPLE WHO ALL TOLD ME ON DIFFERANT OCCATIONS ENERGY DRINKS EXSPECALY (RED BULL) MAKES THEIR CHEST FEEL FUNNY LIKE THEY WHERE GOING TO HAVE A STROKE OR SOMETHING (I BELIEVE THE SIDE EFFECTS ARE WORSE IF YOUR ALREADY UNHEALTHY OR OVER WIEGHT) I SUGGESTED THEY TRIAL QUIT THE DRINKS TO SEE IF THAT WAS THEIR PROBLEM AN THEY LATER REPORTED THE FUNNY FEELING WENT AWAY AN STAYED AT BAY.
Comment by Daniel on 23 February 2009:
i drank them till they caused me to have a heart surgery and caused my blood to go way to thick. i am looking to see if there is a way i can put a lawsuit against them due to this. i cant stay in the job i am in now due to the surgery and am looking for help.
Comment by Jeron on 19 March 2009:
K, i am addicted to rockstar’s, i consistently drink 3 a day, one right before i go to work, then i feel like i need one in the afternoon, and then i have one at night, i don’t drink alchohol any more, but i am always sleepy, its unbelievable, and i work 12 hours a day, then when i don’t have these sugary caffeinated drinks then my head hurts really bad, so my body has adapted the way that it handles all the rockstar i put in my body, i haven’t really realized the risk and the expense’s of doing this, but it is getting way to out of hand and now after researching it for a while i am kind of scared to continue drinking these things, and my breathing pattern has changed when i am lying in bed, it feels like i can’t get enough breathe in my lungs, like i have to force myself to keep some breath coming down, sucks
Comment by Zebras on 8 April 2009:
i drink energy drinks everyday, but when i dont have them i get tired. but when my boyfriend told me about energy drinks. i am starting to cut down. he told me that there was this one guy who died because he had 5 energy drinks in one hour, becuase he got dehydrated to fast.
Comment by Mary on 28 May 2009:
My son was drinking red bull and vodka and almost beat his girlfriend to death. He spent the night in jail and It’s been a nightmare. I have now come to the conclusion that He is a mean drunk when he mixes red bull and vodka. There is no warning on the can. I think someone should start class action lawsuit againts red bull
Comment by billy on 13 July 2009:
@ mary : So someone should sue Redbull because your son is abusive asshole who drinks too much and can’t control him self? What should the label say ? “warning… if mixed with vodka.. you may beat up women, kick babies, or rape the elderly” ? Tell your son to take some accountability for his own actions and stop pushing these frivalous lawsuits.
Comment by Lisa on 13 August 2009:
A member of the Gilbert HS Marching band just died this week after consuming 3 energy drinks before going on the field for a performance. He collapsed and his heart stopped. They were able to revive him, but he was later declared brain dead and taken off life support. I don’t think children under 18 should be able to purchase these drinks, and they should have warning labels about possible heart complications.
Comment by Catherine on 22 September 2009:
I think the issue is moderation.. 1 can lasts me 3 days simply because i will have but a little bit to add a few extra hours of energy to my day if I know I need that extra boost. Otherwise I don’t drink it. My only concern with it is even as little as I drink, I will have the worse cramp pains..
Comment by Kimberly on 26 September 2009:
I have drank Rockstar sugar free 2 a day every day (with 3 once in a while) for two years, I really like the taste but think I am addicted to them I have chest pain once in a while from them or a headache thay I can usually get rid of if I drink another one.Sometimes they make me pee alot like every 10 minutes for about an hour. I have noticed that I have very high blood pressure once in a while,but will only last for a couple of days 170\113 if I just stopped drinking them right now would I get any side effects?
Comment by HH on 7 October 2009:
For any who need the energy~ should try eMV by MonaVie. It’s a Healthy Energy Drink made up of 80% fruit Juice~ no added caffeine or sugar!
Comment by Zach on 9 November 2009:
I think that maybe energy drinks have some sort of relation to stupidity. First of all, people are trying to sue energy drink makers because they are addicted. GET SOME SELF CONTROL, YOU ARE THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE AMERICA LOOK BAD. Also, all of the people who complained about drinking too many energy drinks HAVE NO ENGLISH SKILLS either english is your second language, or you really need to cut back because i think they are killing your brain.
Comment by animime on 13 November 2009:
Think about it, caffeine is a diuretic…not good, lose water. Second, too much caffeine can lead to hypertension which hits all the organs and causes a multitude of problems including heart attack, anuerysms, or stroke. Third, they have a lot of sugar which can lead to diabetes by increasing the likelihood of insulin resistance.
Comment by TONY on 21 December 2009:
ive been adictid to monster for a couple of weeks and it didnt really affect me very much but i became alittle shaky . my parents are worryed about me aand thy think i might have a heart attack’ but reading all this stuff is making me try to stop…………hopefully
Comment by doca on 6 February 2010:
hey guys and gals,
I’m looking for folks that would be interested in filing a class lawsuit against energy drink companies.
Please email me your info and if you are interested in joining me.
I have a liver problem because I was drinking Red Bull on daily basis. I drunk one per day, before I went to work for some time. I’m 30 and never smoked a cigarette, don’t drink alcohol and never used any kind of drugs.
Comment by Lisa on 16 February 2010:
My son drank Red Bull and noticed that he had swelling in his ankles. He had been drinking Red Bull for sometime. He had just one can of it one day along with some alcohol and had an arrythmia which caused his heart to stop for a second and he passed out. He did not associate the episode at the time with Red Bull, but after seeing physicians and going through testing, that is the only reason that I can think of for this to have happened to a 22 year old man. My son could have lost his life to Red Bull.