Updated on Friday, October 26, 2012
TORONTO – For many people who love – and rely on – the rush of a quick caffeine hit, energy drinks may be their drink of choice.
While the drinks, popular among youth, are readily available in most grocery stores, the safety of the product was questioned on Tuesday after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it’s investigating reports of five deaths and a non-fatal heart attack linked to highly caffeinated beverage. The Monster Energy brand is being scrutinized in particular.
The agency acknowledged the reports Monday, but FDA spokeswoman Shelly Burgess says the incidents don’t prove that the drinks caused the deaths. The news follows last week’s filing in California of a wrongful death suit by the parents of a 14-year-old, Hagerstown, Md., girl who died after drinking two, 24-ounce Monster Beverage Corp. drinks in 24 hours.
An autopsy concluded she died of cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity. She had an inherited disorder that can weaken blood vessels.
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Health Canada made the changes to reclassify the drinks a year ago, from a “natural health product” to being “classified in legal terms as food” – meaning strict labelling laws will be required. In an email to Global News, a representative from the group said in Canada, there have been three deaths between 1965 and June 2012, where “energy drinks have been identified in the adverse reaction reports.”
Health Canada said that ‘adverse reactions’ to health products means they’re “considered to be suspicious, as a definite causal association often cannot be determined.”
According to the group, when the transition period is complete, every can will include a nutrition facts table, and under the new measures, products would also require a limit of a 180 mg of caffeine in a single serving.
Similar to the most recent concerns of the FDA, some Canadian medical professionals also expressed concern about the inexpensive pricing of the highly-caffeinated drinks, according to previous Postmedia News reports.
A can of regular coke (355 ml) contains about 44.94 mg of caffeine, while an energy drink roughly around the same size (550 ml) contains a whopping 255 mg of caffeine, according to the same reports.
Monster U.S. says it doesn’t believe its products caused any deaths. Shares of the Corona, Calif.- based company plunged $7.20, or 13.5 per cent, to $46.12 in trading Monday.
With files from The Associated Press
Watch an investigative report by Beatrice Politi for 16×9 on this issue
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