U.S FDA PROBES ENERGY SHOTS

Caffeine content could be problem.

The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that it is investigating 13 reports of deaths and 33 hospitalizations linked to 5-hour Energy, the highly caffeinated shots that are often sold in convenience stores. The news comes a month after Monster Energy drinks were linked to five deaths in the FDA’s so-called adverseevent reports.

Energy shots come with a “higher risk of health problems,” says Amelia Arria, a University of Maryland public health epidemiologist and author of several energy-drink studies. “The caffeine concentration is a lot higher because the volume of the liquid is lower.”

The FDA does not regulate caffeine in energy drinks, which can be marketed as dietary supplements. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., says he is concerned about natural ingredients that also act as stimulants in the drinks. Experts say this combination can be risky for people with undiagnosed heart conditions. Soft drinks, meanwhile, are regulated and can have no more than 71.5 milligrams of caffeine per 12 ounces. Because they don’t know how much caffeine is in energy drinks, “consumers may be at risk for caffeine toxicity,” says Laura Juliano, an American University associate professor of psychology who is an expert on cognitive and behavioral mechanisms that influence caffeine.

Symptoms of caffeine toxicity, also called caffeine intoxication, range from nervousness to cardiac arrhythmia. There have also been reports of seizures, psychotic symptoms and death from energy drinks, Juliano says.

Consumer Reports says 5-hour Energy has 212 milligrams of caffeine, though the drink does not list how much caffeine it contains. For comparison, an 8-ounce cup of coffee typically has about 100 milligrams of caffeine. A 16-ounce Starbucks Grande contains 330 milligrams. An adverse-event report “does not necessarily mean that the product identified in the report actually caused the adverse event,” the FDA said in a statement. It cautioned consumers to consult their doctors before drinking energy drinks.

“If somebody isn’t used to having caffeine and if they take a big dose of it, if they have a pre-existing cardiac problem, which they might not have been aware of, it could lead to a life threatening abnormal heart rhythm, which can lead to sudden death,” says Byron Lee, a professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at the University of California-San Francisco. Arria says regulators need to “reexamine whether it’s appropriate” to put energy drinks into their own regulatory category, given their widespread use.

By Elizabeth Weise and Jayne O'Donnell in "USA Today" (Weekend Edition) 16-18 November, 2012. Adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.