Back Away from the Can, Part II

By Anastacia Mott Austin

A study released this month from Johns Hopkins University researchers recommends that energy drinks come with labels stating how much caffeine they contain, because some of them have as much as 10 times the amount of the stimulant as regular sodas.

The concern is that unwitting consumers of these beverages could easily ingest toxic amounts of caffeine.

"The caffeine content of energy drinks varies, yet the amounts are often unlabeled and few include warnings about he potential health risks," wrote Dr. Roland Griffiths, a behavioral biologist at Johns Hopkins University, in the study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

The FDA requires that soft drinks contain no more than 71 milligrams of caffeine per 12-ounce can. However, most popular energy drinks sold today are marketed as "dietary supplements," and thus do not come under any regulations regarding caffeine content.

As a comparison, note that regular sodas generally have between 35 and 50 milligrams of caffeine per 12-ounce can. Coca-Cola Classic has 34.5 milligrams, Mountain Dew has 54 milligrams, and Pepsi has 38 milligrams.

In contrast, Red Bull contains 80 milligrams per 8.3 ounce can, Rockstar has 160 milligrams per 16-ounce can, and Fixx contains a whopping 500 milligrams of caffeine per 20-ounce serving. Granted, the serving sizes of the higher-caffeine beverages are larger. However, the experts noted that most consumers will drink the entire can in one sitting, regardless of the size.

During the 2007 survey of 496 university students, Griffiths and his colleagues reported that 51% of the subjects had consumed at least one energy drink during the preceding month, and 27% of those had consumed the drink along with alcohol.

The dangers of consuming a high amount of caffeine with alcohol is that the illusion of alertness created by the caffeine creates a false sense of sobriety – people think they are less drunk than they are (and assume they can drive safely, for example).

Industry representatives are quick to point out that a cup of brewed coffee contains between 80 and 160 milligrams of caffeine, and that "coffeehouse" servings from the local Starbucks are often twice the size of a cup at home, or larger.

But the researchers caution that consumers of energy drinks, if unaware of the caffeine content, are not comparing their drinks to coffee – they’re comparing them to soft drinks. If they’re assuming they’ll get approximately the same caffeine jolt as a can of Coke, they’re going to get a very stimulating surprise.

Hospitals are reporting cases of caffeine overdoses from energy drinks, as teens and other consumers of energy beverages will down several drinks in a short amount of time. If each can contained a high level of caffeine, the total could come to the equivalent of drinking ten or more sodas in an hour or so.

Of particular concern in overdose cases has been the drink Redline. The drink does not state its caffeine content, but does warn the user to start out with only half a can (4oz).

Independent researchers were able to determine that Redline contains about 250 milligrams of caffeine per eight-ounce serving. In addition, this drink, described as "freaky" on its Amazon.com ad, is marketed as a weight loss supplement and says that it creates thermogenic fat-burning through a "shivering" effect. It’s probably the massive amount of caffeine in the drink that gives people those fat-burning shakes.

People who drink this beverage without reading every part of the warning label might be expecting the buzz of an 80-mg Red Bull caffeine high, and get more than three times that amount (and about eight times as much as a regular Pepsi).

Caffeine toxicity includes symptoms such as headache, shaking and tremors, dizziness, anxiety, nausea, increased blood pressure, and a rapid or irregular heartbeat. In severe cases caffeine overdose can lead to seizures and death.

Griffiths and his team ended their study with a recommendation that energy drinks come with a warning label on the can stating what the caffeine content is and to not consume excessive amounts. He said to reporters that caffeine is a drug, and should be so labeled. "If you are going to use a drug, you should know what it is, what it does and how to use it effectively," said Griffiths to reporters. "If you don't label that, you don't know that."

Some energy drink companies take advantage of the idea that their product might be seen by some vulnerable consumers (read: teenagers) as a drug. One maker of such a drink has this brilliant (read: idiotic) slogan as their marketing plan: "Do the drink, not the drug." The drink in question is actually called Cocaine, and though the company that makes it says there is no actual cocaine in the drink, they’re obviously trying to make a connection in the minds of their target audience.

Raymond Herrera, marketing vice president of Redux Beverages LLC, which owns Cocaine energy drinks, says the company wants consumers to take home this piece of smart advice: "If you do the drug you are dumb. If you do the drink you are cool."

Well phew, at least the energy drink makers have our teens’ best interests at heart.

The Johns Hopkins study comes on the heels of another report that drinking just one can of Red Bull can make the blood "sticky," and potentially cause strokes in even young, healthy people.

The cardiovascular research center which conducted that study warned that drinking Red Bull caused changes seen in older patients with a history of strokes. "One hour after they drank Red Bull, (their cardiovascular systems) were no longer normal," said Scott Willougby, lead author of the Australian study. "They were abnormal like we would expect in a patient with cardiovascular disease."

So really, think twice about whether you actually want to ingest such a product, which may give you the shakes and just might possibly cause you to have a stroke.

That’s not what I’d call a health supplement.