Energy Drinks stink!
_____
BRITAIN’S thirst
for energy drinks
has never
been greater –
and now a product
with TWICE the
caffeine of
Red Bull is about
to hit the market,
Pat Hagan
reports for
The U.K. Sun
July 9th.
.
Consumers already guzzle
around 330million litres of
the boosters every year,
spending an estimated
£1billion in the process.
But the safety and marketing
of these products is about to
be called into question again
with the imminent launch of
the latest feelgood beverage
set to be called Cocaine.
_____
It is awaiting approval from
Trading Standards and the
Food Standards Agency.
Apart from the
controversial brand name,
the fizzy lemon non-alcoholic
brew is packed with caffeine.
Previous attempts to launch
a similar product,
called
Cocaine Energy Drink, were
blocked in the UK last year.
A beverage with a similar
name was banned in the US.
Martin Barnes,
head of drugs charity DrugScope,
says:
“This is little more than an
intentionally provocative and
cynical marketing stunt.
Most young people will see
through the branding ploy.
But making light of an illegal
drug that causes harm isn’t
helpful or particularly smart.”
_____
There are concerns that
youngsters who binge on
the new drink could be
risking their health.
High-caffeine beverages
have been a huge hit with
young clubbers wanting to
bolster energy levels.
But drinks such as Red Bull
are banned in countries
including Norway,
Uruguay and Denmark
because of health fears.
Although a 250ml can of
Red Bull contains 80mg
of caffeine –
only a bit more than a cup
of instant coffee –
evidence suggests many
youngsters binge on several
cans at a time.
___
People can react
differently to caffeine.
Some are sensitive
to the stimulant,
which means even relatively
small amounts can trigger
heart palpitations and increase
blood pressure.
Some studies have also
raised the alarm over drinking
too many energy drinks
then doing exercise.
_____
Earlier this year,
a 28-year-old motorcyclist
in Australia had a heart attack
after consuming seven cans
of Red Bull before taking
part in a race.
Last year experts at Henry
Ford Hospital in Detroit, US,
urged patients with existing
heart problems to avoid energy
drinks in case they made the
heart race and blood pressure
rise to dangerous levels.
And a worrying study at
the Cardiovascular Research
Centre in Adelaide, Australia,
showed a single can of
sugar-free Red Bull
could have a damaging effect
on the heart within
60 MINUTES.
_____
Medics gave 30 young
adults a drink and tested
them an hour later.
They discovered a
“potentially deadly”
thickening of the blood
similar to that found in
patients with
heart disease.
A spokesman for
Red Bull Australia said:
“The study does not show
effects which would go
beyond that of drinking
a cup of coffee.”
_____
High-energy drinks have
also been blamed for bad
behaviour by pupils.
Several schools in England
have recently banned drinks
such as Red Bull and
925 Energy Shot,
which has the caffeine
content of six coffees.
June Davison,
of the British Heart Foundation,
says there is no increased risk
from modest amounts of
caffeine but added:
“Some people can be
caffeine sensitive and this
can trigger palpitations.”
_____
Drinks sold in the UK
containing more than
150mg caffeine per litre
must be labelled as “
high caffeine content”,
but there is no upper limit
on how much
they can contain.
_____________________________
HIGH-ENERGY drinks
have been linked with
heart-related incidents
around the world.
BRITAIN:
Last September,
21-year-old student
Chloe Leach,
from Hull,
died on a nightclub
dance floor after downing
four cans of Red Bull
and several VKs,
a vodka-based drink
also high in caffeine.
A coroner ruled the
drinks may have
triggered QT syndrome,
a rare heart condition.
IRELAND:
In 2000,
18-year-old Ross Cooney,
from Limerick,
collapsed and died after
downing three cans of
Red Bull then
playing basketball.
Red Bull said at the
time of Ross’s death
that the drink had
undergone rigorous
scientific testing before
it was launched in 1987
and had a good
safety record.
SWEDEN:
When three people
died in 2001 after downing
caffeine-rich drinks,
medical authorities ordered
an investigation and urged
people not to take them
with alcohol or
after heavy exercise.
AUSTRALIA:
A 28-year-old man
suffered a heart attack
earlier this year after
drinking seven cans
of a high-energy drink
and taking part in a
gruelling motorcycle race.
Docs who treated him
blamed the combination
of too much caffeine
and strenuous exercise.
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