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Alarm grows over energy drinks
Do you know what’s in your energy drink? You should. It could be leading to caffeine intoxication or addiction and could raise the risk of heart attacks or strokes.
Some energy drink labels say they shouldn’t be mixed with alcohol and that no more than two cans (500 ml) be consumed a day and for good reason — some contain the caffeine equivalent of 10 cans of Coca-Cola.
An overview of the potential dangers of energy drinks and statistics about who is using them and and with what effect from Roland Griffiths, a professor of behavioral biology and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, is published in the most recent issue of the journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
According to a new article by Sharon Kirkey of Canwest News Service, “Scientists from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore are calling for prominent labels for energy drinks listing caffeine doses and warning of potential risks when used alone, or in combination with alcohol. They’re also recommending doctors get familiar with signs of caffeine intoxication, withdrawal and dependence in young people who might be using the beverages.”
She goes on to write that, “The combined use of caffeine and alcohol is “increasing sharply,” the researchers say. When mixed with alcohol, people feel less intoxicated, “so they misjudge the extent to which they are impaired,” and people may end up consuming more booze.”
Another article on Science Daily points out that this is a $5.4 billion in the United States and is expanding at a whopping rate of 55 percent annually.
Science Daily gives some insight into who’s spending the money — teens and young adults — writing, “In a 2007 survey of 496 college students, 51 percent reported consuming at least one energy drink during the last month. Of these energy drink users, 29 percent reported “weekly jolt and crash episodes,” and 19 percent reported heart palpitations from drinking energy drinks. This same survey revealed that 27 percent of the students surveyed said they mixed energy drinks and alcohol at least once in the past month. “Alcohol adds another level of danger,” says Griffiths, “because caffeine in high doses can give users a false sense of alertness that provides incentive to drive a car or in other ways put themselves in danger.” “
In June, Anheuser-Busch agreed not to sell Tilt and Bud Extra — popular energy/alcoholic drinks — in 11 states, including Ohio. Ohio Attorney General Nancy H. Rogers and attorneys for 24 other states called on MillerCoors to follow suit this month.
Symptoms of ingesting too much caffeine, called caffeine intoxication, include nervousness, anxiety, diarrhea, tremors, insomnia and a rapid heart rate. Here’s a quick guide on how much caffeine is in several popular energy drinks to get you started in educating yourself, your friends or if you have them, your kids.
Sample of energy drinks and their caffeine content as published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence:
Wired X505 (24 ounces): 505 mg of caffeine
Fixx (20 ounces): 500 mg
BooKoo Energy (24 ounces): 360 mg
Redline Power Rush (high concentration energy drink- 2.5 ounces): 350 mg
Redline RTD (8 ounces): 250 mg
No Fear (16 ounces): 174 mg
Monster (16 ounces): 160 mg
Rockstar (16 ounces): 160 mg
Full Throttle (16 ounces): 144 mg
Red Bull (8.3 ounces): 80 mg
Classic soft drinks:
Coca-Cola Classic (12 ounces): 34.5 mg caffeine
Pepsi Cola (12 ounces): 38 mg
Dr. Pepper (12 ounces): 41 mg
Mountain Dew (12 ounces): 54 mg
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment | Categories: News
Comments
By Mike
September 24, 2008 12:37 PM | Link to this
…yet no one says anything about coffee drinkers. How about 330 mg of caffeine for a Grande from Starbucks? That places near the top of those awful energy drinks. I think we might have a little generational gap here.By John
September 24, 2008 2:12 PM | Link to this
I use to drink a lot of energy drinks and I also use to mix them with alcohol. I had an extreme axiety attack and now i have problems with anxiety and other symptoms these energy drinks are bad for your body and I dont think anyone should drink themBy John
September 24, 2008 2:13 PM | Link to this
I use to drink a lot of energy drinks and I also use to mix them with alcohol. I had an extreme axiety attack and now i have problems with anxiety and other symptoms these energy drinks are bad for your body and I dont think anyone should drink themBy jemcx
September 24, 2008 2:20 PM | Link to this
couldn’t find 330mg of caffeine for the starbucks drink after searching their web site. In the name of fairness, it is 150 for a grande.By Objective View
September 25, 2008 9:37 AM | Link to this
The energy drink/alcohol combination is good for people to know. However, This article fails to mention coffee at all which is a HUGE contributor to caffeine intake. Then the drinks they list as examples are among the worst offenders in the category AND the biggest versions (20 and 24z vs the typical 16z). Then they compare those to 12z colas as opposed to the 20z versions that exist and are commonly consumed. It’s a misleading attempt at showing extreme differences. Please keep the facts comparable instead of going for the “shock” factor.