Despite soaring sales, energy drinks can harm

Energy drink sales increased an average of 55 percent annually from 2002 to 2006, bringing in an estimated $5.4 billion in 2006, according to Package Facts, a consumer goods market research and analysis provider.

But that begs the question: Is the energy drink market hopped up on its own products?

In the Jan. 1 issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence, scientists at Johns Hopkins University published a review warning against the lack of regulation of energy drink caffeine content.

While sodas are limited to 71 milligrams per 12-ounce serving, there are currently no restrictions on the amount of caffeine an energy drink can contain.

“The drinks aren’t labeled, and their caffeine contents are highly variable,” said co-author of the review Chad Reissig,  postdoctoral fellow at JHU’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. “Some on the lower end of the spectrum could contain only 50 milligrams of caffeine total, while on the opposite, some contain 500 milligrams of caffeine.”

That’s as much as 14 cans of Coca-Cola.

“The reality of it is, it doesn’t have a lot of benefits,” Stacey Matavuli, registered dietician at Bloomington Hospital, said of caffeine. “Technically it should be classified as a drug.”

Caffeine intoxication is a clinical syndrome recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases.

Symptoms include anxiety, nausea and heart palpitations.

Furthermore, combining alcohol with energy drinks has become increasingly popular.
In a 2007 survey of 496 college students published in Nutrition Journal, 27 percent said they had consumed an energy drink mixed with alcohol in the past month, and 49 percent used more than three energy drinks when doing so.

“If you were to mix a Red Bull with vodka, you’re more likely to drink more,” Reissig said. “And more importantly, how you feel, you’re not going to feel as drunk as you actually are.”

This results in an increase in alcohol-related incidents, such as sexual misconduct and
drunk driving.

Reissig and his colleagues recommend prominent labeling of caffeine content on all energy drinks as well as warnings about the potential health risks of consuming too much caffeine.

But because responses to caffeine can vary greatly from person to person, there are no consistent dosage recommendations for an average adult, Matavuli said. It is important to be aware of exactly how much caffeine a drink contains.

“Just because it’s trendy doesn’t mean it’s healthy,” Matavuli said.