The Food and Drug Administration is investigating allegations that date from 2007 that Monster Energy drinks are thought to have been the cause of five deaths and a heart attack, which was not fatal.
The mother of a teenage girl who died after taking the drink for two days consecutively, has filed a lawsuit charging that the company should have warned consumers of the risks associated with consuming the energy drinks. The girl died of cardiac arrhythmia as a result of caffeine toxicity. The 14-year-old girl died six days from the day of her collapse following consumption of 24-ounces of the energy drink. The parents of the girl come from Maryland. The suit filed by Fournier’s parents notes that the drink has no indication of how much caffeine it contains. The recommended caffeine intake for children and teens is 100 mg or less per day and for adults should not exceed 400 mg each day. The parents claim that the drink is dangerous and the maker is putting consumers at risk for failing to put any warnings. In addition, the suit accuses the drink maker of negligently marketing the drink to young adults and teenagers.
The FDA however, promises caution as it has to investigate all caffeine sources and not blame the deaths solely on Monster Energy drink. This is not the first time energy drinks are featuring in health warnings. Last year a spike was reported in hospital (emergency) visits related to energy drinks. Most of these cases involved teenagers between the ages of 12- 17. This was a report done by the U.S. Drug Abuse Warning Network. The administration limits the caffeine amount in soda at 0.02% with no limit set in energy drinks.
Other than caffeine levels, how do energy drinks differ from sodas and sports drinks? Soft drinks are mainly water, sugar and flavoring. They don’t do anything for your body; they’re just supposed to taste good. Sports drinks are designed to replenish fluids lost during activity. They typically contain water, electrolytes and sugar.