Tag Archives | Energy Drinks

20,000 Emergency Room Visits Caused By Energy Drink Consumption In 2011

By on January 20, 2013 in News 6

Idiocracy in our midst, via USA Today:

A new government survey suggests the number of people seeking emergency treatment after consuming energy drinks has doubled nationwide during the past four years.

From 2007 to 2011, the number of emergency room visits involving the neon-labeled beverages shot up from about 10,000 to more than 20,000, according to a survey of the nation’s hospitals released late last week by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The report doesn’t specify which symptoms brought people to the emergency room but calls energy drink consumption a “rising public health problem” that can cause insomnia, nervousness, headache, fast heartbeat and seizures that are severe enough to require emergency care. The findings came as concerns over energy drinks have intensified following reports last fall of 18 deaths possibly tied to the drinks.

 

… Read the rest

Continue Reading · 6

Caffeinated Energy Drinks Linked To Five Deaths

By on October 24, 2012 in News 11

Sugar- and caffeine-drenched “extreme” beverages actually live up to their marketing, give people heart attacks immediately after consuming, Yahoo! News reports:

The highly caffeinated Monster Energy Drink has been cited in five deaths and one non-fatal heart attack, according to reports that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating. The reports claim that people had adverse reactions after they consumed Monster Energy Drink, which comes in 24-ounce cans and contains 240 milligrams of caffeine, or seven times the amount of the caffeine in a 12-ounce cola.

News of the FDA’s investigation follows a filing last week of a wrongful death suit in Riverside, Calif., by the parents of a 14-year-old Hagerstown girl who died after drinking two, 24-ounce Monster Energy Drinks in 24 hours.

Monster Beverage Corp., which touts on its web site that the Monster Energy Drink is a “killer energy brew” and “the meanest energy supplement on the planet,” puts labels on cans that state that the drinks are not recommended for children and people who are sensitive to caffeine.

… Read the rest

Continue Reading · 11

Energy And Sports Drinks Destroy Teeth

By on May 3, 2012 in News 6
Gatorade

Photo: Jeff Taylor (CC)

Mikaela Conley reports for ABC News:

Sugar may rot your teeth, but the acid in energy and sports drinks will also do some irreversible damage to those (not so) pearly whites, say researchers.

A new study published in the journal General Dentistry found that energy and sports drinks contain so much acid that they start destroying teeth after only five days of consistent use. Thirty to 50 percent of American teens use energy drinks, the paper says, and up to 62 percent drink sports drinks at least once a day.

Damage to enamel can cause teeth to become sensitive to touch and temperature changes, and be more susceptible to cavities and decay.

“Young adults consume these drinks assuming that they will improve their sports performance and energy levels and that they are ‘better’ for them than soda,” said Poonam Jain, lead author of the study. “Most of these patients are shocked to learn that these drinks are essentially bathing their teeth with acid.”

Jain and colleagues analyzed the titratable acidity, pH and fluoride of 13 different sports drinks and nine energy drinks (including Gatorade and Red Bull) by submerging samples of human tooth enamel in each beverage for 15 minutes.

… Read the rest

Continue Reading · 6

Negative Health Effects Of Sports And Energy Drinks

By on February 14, 2011 in News 20
Photo: Grendelkhan (CC)

Photo: Grendelkhan (CC)

Scientists at University of Miami School of Medicine have reviewed the effects, adverse consequences, and extent of energy-drink consumption among children, adolescents, and young adults. Here’s what they found in their study:

RESULTS According to self-report surveys, energy drinks are consumed by 30% to 50% of adolescents and young adults. Frequently containing high and unregulated amounts of caffeine, these drinks have been reported in association with serious adverse effects, especially in children, adolescents, and young adults with seizures, diabetes, cardiac abnormalities, or mood and behavioral disorders or those who take certain medications. Of the 5448 US caffeine overdoses reported in 2007, 46% occurred in those younger than 19 years. Several countries and states have debated or restricted their sales and advertising.

CONCLUSIONS Energy drinks have no therapeutic benefit, and many ingredients are understudied and not regulated. The known and unknown pharmacology of agents included in such drinks, combined with reports of toxicity, raises concern for potentially serious adverse effects in association with energy-drink use.

… Read the rest

Continue Reading · 20