caffeine overdose Archives - GEG Research and Consulting

3 Reasons Energy Drink Bans Fail

January 18, 2021January 15, 2021greeneyedguide

Energy drinks are not intended for minors. And yet, energy drink bans are not the way to go.

Many states and counties in the US have tried to pass laws to prevent minors from buying energy drinks. In this episode of the Caffeine at Midnight podcast, Caffeine Scientist GreenEyedGuide describes the 3 reasons energy drink bans fail, and what lawmakers SHOULD do instead.

Where Minors Get Their Caffeine

Few get it from energy drinks

Reference: Beverage caffeine intakes in the US – Food Chem Toxicol, 136-42 Jan 2014

The 3 Most Important Things You Need To Know

Energy Drink Bans Don't Address Dangerous Ingredients

People have overdosed on caffeine from shots of espresso, from pure caffeine powder, and from soda [see References, below].
A ban on energy drinks won't address situations where OTHER ingredients pose a health risk. For example, yohimbe, beta-alanine, and even B-Vitamins can be harmful in the wrong dose.

Energy Drink Bans Don't Include "Energy Drinks In Disguise"

Starbucks Doubleshot has 2x the caffeine of Red Bull. Some preworkout powders have 3x the amount of caffeine a minor can have in 1 day. Energy drink bans fail to include these products, which pose just as much risk to minors as the stereotypical energy drink.

Energy Drink Bans Don't Protect 18 Year Olds

Eighteen year olds don't magically wake up immune to caffeine toxicity. And yet, college students are more likely than minors of overdosing on caffeine. This is due to their newfound independence, peer pressure, and the stress of juggling college and Adulthood responsibilities.

Bottom Line

Preventing a minor from buying Red Bull is not the best way to keep minors safe from the health risks associated with energy drinks. There are too many loopholes, and there are better methods that protect everyone, not just minors.

In the next episode of the Caffeine at Midnight podcast, GreenEyedGuide shares why Canada’s Energy Drink Restriction is the way to go.

References

Documented Deaths By Caffeine – Caffeine Informer
Yohimbe Side Effects – WebMD
Energy Drink Hospitalizations – GreenEyedGuide.com

Energy Drinks and Hospitalizations Checklist: How to Ask The Right Questions

October 1, 2019December 27, 2019greeneyedguide

It’s happened again: someone was admitted to the hospital after consuming an energy drink. Reporters covering the story warn readers about the dangers of energy drinks…something is missing. In this post, I’ll review real headlines about energy drink to demonstrate how the omission of a few minor details hurts consumers, as well as the scientists who study energy drinks.

If you read a news story about someone being hospitalized because of a vegetable, you’d have some questions.

On the surface, the mere idea sounds ridiculous.

“Hospitalized…because of a VEGETABLE? People eat veggies all the time without dying, why would someone go to the hospital?”

In fact, leafy green vegetables were the number one source of foodborne illnesses from 1998-2008. Moreover, this hypothetical news story is a perfect example of how asking the right questions can save lives.

When someone is hospitalized because of a vegetable, scientists and doctors are able to piece together the clues and figure out whether or not to issue a recall, if so, what food and even what brand and lot numbers. The end result is information which saves people from eating something that could hurt them. If only we could do the same thing for energy drinks.
(Hint: we are not)

When it comes to energy drink-related hospitalizations, we are not asking the right questions. There are several examples of real energy drink news stories where small but critical details were omitted. Not only does this hurt consumers, but it also hurts scientists who desperately need this data to study the health effects of energy drinks.

The good news is these missing critical details can be summed up in just five questions.
Yes, just FIVE QUESTIONS!
Let me walk you through these five questions and why they matter so much, using real news stories about energy drink-related hospitalizations.

What you need to know about the Caffeine Overdose in South Carolina

May 16, 2017February 17, 2021greeneyedguide

Excessive caffeine led to the death of a 16-year old in South Carolina named Davis Allen Cripe. As a biochemist studying energy drinks, I share my understanding of what happened and what caffeine research tells us about caffeine and heart issues.

Contents (click to jump):

Caffeine Consumed From All Sources
Where the News Outlets are Getting It Right
The Study I Can’t Stand that News Outlets Keep Citing
Caffeine and Arrhythmias and the American Heart Association 2017 Study
Bottom Line