2008 Woodie Awards
Energy drinks face possible warning labels
Mike Napolitano
Issue date: 10/6/08 Section: News
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Researchers at Johns Hopkins University are calling for the drinks to carry warning labels displaying caffeine content and possible health risks. In an article in the Drug and Alcohol Dependence journal , researchers cite concerns about the growing energy drink industry, from its aggressive marketing strategies to the drinks' increased use in combination with alcohol.
Manufacturers have thus far avoided warning labels on caffeinated energy drinks. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), however, already limits the caffeine content in soda to 71 milligram per 12 ounces or less, and requires over-the-counter medications containing the drug to list their contents and provide warnings about potential health risks.
Chad Reissig, one of the study's authors, said he wants to see the same regulations apply to these drinks.
"We would want the amount of caffeine listed, as well as warnings about caffeine [and] some of the symptoms of caffeine intoxication and guidelines," he said in an interview to The News.
Craig Stevens, vice president of communications for the American Beverage Association (ABA), said he thinks requiring labels on energy drinks would be unnecessary and alarmist.
"I think it's important to keep it in perspective," he said. "The mainstream energy drinks have about half the caffeine that you get from a coffeehouse coffee. What's next? Are we going to see bouncers at Starbucks asking for IDs from kids?"
Many popular brands of energy drinks contain no more than 200 milligram of caffeine per 12 ounces: Red Bull with 80 milligram; Monster with 160; and Rockstar Zero Carb with 180. Some, however, contain a much higher concentration. Wired X505 offers 505 milligram in 23.5 ounces, and Powerspike packs 100 milligram into a one ounce shot. Stevens said that while the mainstream 16 ounces energy drink contains about 160 milligram of caffeine, a coffee of the same size has roughly 320 milligram in it. And while the ways in which people get caffeine have changed, he said it's still the same drug people have used throughout history.
"Caffeine has been used by millions of people over thousands of years, literally," he said.
Reissig said his main concern was not the amount of caffeine in each drink, but the way in which these types of drinks are used by young people.
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