by KIM HILSENBECK
The sports and energy drink market is a multi-billion dollar industry. Energy drinks and “shots” branded under names such as Monster, Red Bull, Rock Star and 5-hour energy have mass appeal among adolescents and young adults.
Likewise, sports drinks such as Gatorade have captured large swaths of the young athlete market with claims of rehydration.
But the number of emergency room (ER) visits related to harmful side effects of energy drinks, which contain high levels of caffeine compared to an average cup of coffee or can of soda, is on the rise across the country.
According to a 2009 report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the data shows that 13,114 ER visits were linked to energy drinks.
That is a ten-fold increase from 2005.
Fortunately, few cases are here in Hays County. Steve Taylor, spokesperson for Seton Medical Center Hays, said there has not been a surge in ER visits related to energy drinks. But Dr. Patrick Crocker, D.O., FACEP, Chief of Emergency Medicine at Dell Children’s in Austin, said the time to talk about possible dangers is before children over-consume those products.
At Dell Children’s, Crocker said they have seen cases of adolescents coming to the ER for energy drink related health problems.
“As these drinks become more popular, more kids come in with symptoms. Some of the most common issues are anxiety, heart palpitations, irritability, sleeplessness and increased blood pressure,” he said. “Dehydration can also happen because caffeine exacerbates the problem, so the effect is probably worse in summertime.”
While showing a specific number of ER visits related to energy drinks would be difficult, since they are not tracked with an ICD9 code used by medical professionals across the country, Crocker said he has personally seen teens and youngsters come to the ER with these symptoms after consuming one or more of these products.
In November, the New York Times reported that energy drinks were linked to 13 deaths nation-wide. Crocker was not aware of any deaths in the Central Texas area related to the drinks.
Ruth Roberts, director of student health services at Hays CISD, said students will often complain of headaches and jitteriness after consuming energy drinks. The district does not capture specific data on the health effects of energy drinks.
According to several reports Crocker said energy drinks may contain caffeine, ephedrine or other stimulants in amounts that are quite bit higher than the average coffee or soda.
“They may have anywhere from 200 mg to 300 mg of caffeine, depending on the brand,” he said.
According to Crocker, many of the most popular energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine, others use guarana or ephedrine – stimulants similar to caffeine. Some drinks have both caffeine and another stimulant.
Depending on can or bottle, consumers may be getting double the serving size in some energy drinks.
Crocker said another concern is when youngsters and teens drink more than one can at a time or even in a day.
“Besides getting a load of 30 grams of sugar per serving (or 60 with two servings), they are also getting a very high dose of caffeine or other stimulants,” Crocker said.
The doctor said he tried an energy drink to see what effect it would have on him.
“I drank Rock Star one time and that was the last time,” Crocker said. “I was not impressed.”
The energy drink market was estimated at $9 billion in sales in 2011 according to Dr. Robin Toblin, a researcher at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
How much caffeine is in there? Comparison chart
Item Size MG
Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee with Turbo Shot 20 fl. oz. 436
Panera Coffee 16.8 fl. oz. 189
Starbucks Coffee 20 fl. oz. 415
Starbucks Coffee 16 fl. oz. 330
Full Throttle 16 fl. oz. 200
Monster Energy 16 fl. oz. 160
Rockstar 16 fl. oz. 160
AMP Energy Boost Original 16 fl. oz. 142
Red Bull 8.4 fl. oz. 80
5-hour Energy 1.9 fl. oz. 208
Slogan on Monster’s website: “Monster is way more than an energy drink. Led by our athletes, musicians, employees, distributors and fans, Monster is...A lifestyle in a can.”
Federal officials received reports of 13 deaths over the last four years citing possible involvement of 5-Hour Energy according to Food and Drug Administration records
Since 2009, 5-Hour Energy has been mentioned in 90 filings with the F.D.A., including more than 30 that involved serious or life-threatening injuries like heart attacks, convulsions and, in one case, a spontaneous abortion
The FDA received five fatality filings mentioning Monster Energy
