Caffeinated energy drinks raise safety concerns

A new product in the caffeine competition in the energy drink industry is the pocket-packed, squeezed-bottle design of Mio Energy beverage additives.

Kraft Foods says every half teaspoon of its Mio product releases 60 milligrams of caffeine in the drink, the equivalent of a six-ounce cup of coffee. But one of their models (which can be repeatedly squeezed) has a capacity of 18 servings, the equivalent of 1060 milligrams of caffeine, which health experts say is enough to make children and even adults sick and even need to see a doctor.

Some countries have begun to restrict the sale of energy drinks, pointing out that excessive consumption of caffeine can be harmful to children and even some adults. By the end of this year, Canada will limit the amount of caffeine in products such as monster energy drinks (Monster Energy), Red Bull and Rockstar. Mexico, France, India and other countries have also or are considering measures such as a tax on the price of such drinks to curb consumption.

With U. S. energy drink consumption soaring and some House lawmakers calling for a review of the industry, the New York State Attorney General is also investigating the operations of several manufacturers. But critics point out that the US Food and Drug Administration (Food and Drug Administration) has left the drinks in a regulatory gray area and does not require companies to disclose the caffeine content of their products.

"what they do is let it go," said Dr. Bruce A. Goldberger, a toxicologist at the University of Florida (University of Florida) in Gainesville. Goldberger. But the question is, what has to happen to prompt them to take action? " Goldberger has been critical of the energy drink industry.

FDA officials say they do not have enough evidence to address caffeine standards in energy drinks, but they are continuing to study the issue. Moreover, manufacturers can promote energy drinks as both drinks and dietary supplements. These are two different regulatory categories, and there are different regulations on product labels and ingredients.

"there is no regulation that defines energy drinks," said Daniel Daniel Fabricant, director of dietary supplements at FDA. "it's just a marketing statement."

It was reported on Monday that since 2009, FDA has received reports of five deaths that may be related to the best-selling monster energy drink. The disclosure may force FDA officials to regulate the product market as soon as possible. But Monster Beverage, the maker of monster energy drinks, denied that there were safety problems with the product.

The series of deaths raises bigger questions about whether merchants monitor reports of deaths and serious injuries that may be related to products. A spokeswoman for Monster Beverage said Monday that the company was unaware of four of the five deaths reported by FDA. However, such accident reports are included in a database of FDA.

In December, a 14-year-old girl in Maryland died of arrhythmia after drinking two cans of monster energy drinks within 24 hours. Her mother applied under the Freedom of Information Act (Freedom of Information Act) and obtained accident records. Last week, she sued Monster Beverage, a listed company based in Corona, Calif., for compensation, but the amount was not clear.

Under the latest Canadian law, the 24-ounce monster energy drink drunk by Maryland teenager Anais Fournier will be banned because it contains 240mg of caffeine, 60mg higher than the new limit.

In the United States, a report released last year by the Federal Administration of substance abuse and Mental Health Services (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) noted that the number of energy drink-related emergencies in the country jumped to 12000 in 2009, the latest of its kind. This figure is 10 times the number of such outpatients reported in 2005.

The question of whether to limit the caffeine content of energy drinks sold in China and how to do so comes at a time of drastic changes in beverage consumption in the United States. In some stores, energy drinks have outsold sodas.

Sales of energy drinks in the United States rose 16 percent last year to a record $8.9 billion, according to industry magazine Beverage Digest (Beverage Digest).

Even industry critics admit that the growth represents a victory for fine packaging and marketing aimed at promoting such drinks to young people with attractive advertising images and slogans. Many 16-ounce energy drinks sell for $2.99, while over-the-counter NoDoz tablets with the same amount of caffeine sell for 30 cents each.

Medical experts say it is not a problem for healthy adults to eat 400 milligrams or more of caffeine a day. Caffeine is also beneficial as a stimulant, such as refreshing.

But little is known about the effects of high doses of caffeine on teenagers. Experts point out that caffeine can be dangerous for people who suffer from heart disease or other special diseases but have not yet been diagnosed.

Roland Griffiths, a caffeine expert and industry critic at Johns Hopkins University, said that young people's use of large doses of caffeine can lead to mood ups and downs that "bring some unnecessary changes to their emotional and mental health."

Wendy Crossland, the mother of a 14-year-old Maryland girl, said FDA should ask energy drink makers to disclose the amount of caffeine in their drinks.

In Canada, 15-year-old Brian Shepard (Brian Shepard) died of an arrhythmia after drinking a can of Red Bull in 2008, prompting calls to regulate the market. His father, James James Shepard, said he couldn't believe that nothing had been done in the United States.

"in the United States, some drinks contain amazing caffeine, and you try to attract children to buy them," Shepard said. This kind of behavior is disgusting. " Shepard is a car mechanic in Toronto.