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Tim Boyle / Getty Images file
Bottles of energy drink, Monster, lie on display at a market in Des Plaines, Ill., in this March 2006 file photo.
By Martinne Geller, Reuters
The Food and Drug Administration said on Monday that it was investigating reports of five deaths that may be associated with Monster Beverage Corp's energy drink.
Monster is also being sued by the family of a 14-year-old girl who died after drinking two cans of its Monster Energy drink in a 24-hour period.
Monster said it does not believe its drinks are "in any way responsible" for the girl's death.
"Monster is unaware of any fatality anywhere that has been caused by its drinks," the company said in a statement. It said it intends to vigorously defend itself against the lawsuit.
The family of Anais Fournier filed a lawsuit on Friday against Monster for failing to warn about the product's dangers.
The lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court in Riverside, said that after drinking two 24-ounce cans of Monster Energy on consecutive days Fournier went into cardiac arrest. She died days later on December 23, 2011 from what the lawsuit said was "cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity" that complicated a heart disorder she already had.
On Monday, FDA spokeswoman Shelly Burgess said the agency had received reports of five deaths and one heart attack that may be associated with the Monster Energy drink from 2009 through June this year.
The FDA said that it investigates any report of injury or death that it receives. The notices to the FDA's adverse events database do not in themselves confirm a risk from a product.
Monster is the leading U.S. energy drink by volume with nearly 39 percent of the U.S. market, but Austria's Red Bull has the highest share by revenue due to its premium price.
In July, New York State's Attorney General issued subpoenas to three energy drink makers -- Monster, PepsiCo and Living Essentials LLC -- seeking information on the companies' marketing and advertising practices.
PepsiCo makes the AMP energy drink and Living Essentials makes 5-Hour Energy.
Related:
Teen girl dies of 'caffeine toxcity after downing 2 energy drinks'
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I remember a science project that was done by one of my kid's classmates regarding these so called "harmless" energy drinks,..................If you only realized how much these drinks actually eat away at your intestines, you would reconsider drinking them,.................... get your caffeine fix some other way, PLEASE!! It made our family stop drinking them..........
And, pray tell, how did they establish that these drinks "eat away at your intestines"? Did your kid's classmate get funding for CT scans and MRIs, as well as gastric endoscopies and colonoscopies, conducted on a randomized cohort of test subjects and placebo-controlled? Was this study published in a recognized medical journal after extensive peer review? I didn't think so.
If people want to pour sugar-laden, caffeine-loaded, nutritionally worthless crap down their gullets, that's their problem, and certainly not mine. I am intelligent enough, and have enough functioning taste buds, to realize that consuming such swill is not in your health's best interest.
I like Monster.. But! One morning last summer I had one after several cups of coffee and trust me I won't try that again.
Alcohol, tobacco, high calorie foods and other substances we consume have shown historically to carry certain consequences that can even be deadly. We need to include these "energy" drinks on our radar so we're aware of the potential consequences with consuming them as well. Protect yourself and your family by seeking medical assistance to understand your state of health and whether you should include stimulants in your diet. Some people, unfortunately, have already found out the hard way their answer.
I have been saying this for years! Too many young athletes are dropping out on football fields and basketball courts when they were "normal healthy kids"!
I tell my children, never drink these "energy" drinks! They are dangerous and unnecessary. Their little hearts can't take that much stimulation. It's so sad that parents buy these for their teens and give them out like juice boxes!!!
You have the right attitude. Telling your children that this garbage is not good for them is part of good parenting. Not buying it is also a wise economic decision as well as a wise health decision.
I do not believe that energy drinks are good for you.
BUT I do not believe this caused deaths.
Perhaps when you do something stupid like drink Red Bull and alcohol together, yes, perhaps.
FYI, if you have ANY kind of heart condition, regardless of your age, you should NOT be drinking any type of "energy" drink, period. This is common sense that most people should have, however many people unfortunately lack, for whatever reasons.
http://www.energyfiend.com/the-caffeine-database
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine
lethal toxicity is estimated at around 150 mg per kilogram of body mass. (2) 24 oz Monster drinks. 480 mg of caffeine/150 mg/kg means the girl would have been smaller than 3.2kg or less than 7 pounds.
Come on.
When do we sue Oscar Mayer?
Are you going to sue McDonald's because the size of your welfare check forced you to eat off the "dollar menu" and over the course of many years contributed you developing diabetes?
Are you freaking kidding me? Where were her parents? This poor child is dead due to lack of parenting and her parents want to sue a company because they lacked the ability to watch their child? Who as a parent in their right mind allows their kids to drink TWO 24 ounce energy drinks in a 24 hour period if at all??? Can you not read the ingredients on the can? Seriously don't blame a company for your inability to do your job as a parent. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know thats not a good idea. Its sad when you have to be checked out to adopt an animal from the humane society but yet anyone can have a kids......
I have a teenaged grandson who is addicted to this type of crap - "energy drinks". He swills them at a rate that would make these girls' intakes look modest. And, of course, the advertising leaves the impression that they are not only harmless but actually good for you. They "give you wings"! Yeah, right, "angel wings"...
Ever read the ingredient list on these drinks? Lots of big words which amount to: (1) Pre-digested sugar (because the glucose/sucrose/fructose, whichever, has already been broken down for ultra-rapid absorption, they can load these things with sugar and still call them "sugar free"), (2) metabolism enhancers, designed to help you absorb and break down these sugars/sugar-components even faster, and (3) One or more stimulants (mostly but not exclusively caffeine). No wonder kids get a buzz off these things!
Now, I have lots of unhealthy habits. Heck, I smoke. So, I'm fine with it if people want to ruin their health by ingesting crap like "energy drinks", but, ya' know, maybe we should insist on intelligible labeling. Don't list some massive chemical name, just call it what it is - "pre-digested sugar". Then put a disclaimer, like they do on cigarette packages, which say that "Hey, this stuff is probably bad for you." Then, if folks want to indulge, let 'em, but, when their survivors show up in court asking for money, make sure that the jury understands that they took this stuff voluntarily and, since they did, they are responsible for what happened to 'em. They got their wings.
To be honest many of these things should not be taken by kids that age period. As a parent it is your responsibility to educate your kids like my mom and dad did and many others moms and dads did. Hey Johnny do not stick that screw drive in the outlet or it will hurt you. Debbie do not put your hand in that fire it will burn you. These companies market to the kids and young adults that is who buys most of it. Maybe you can make it so you have to be 18 to buy it I am not sure but a 12 or 13 or 14 year old kid needs this about as much as they need moonshine to drink.
Yet another example of poor parenting from people who don't have a clue what personal responsibility is.
Two drinks in 24 hours? Please, that's nothing compared to how much we drink while on deployments for the military. She was on something more potent than Monster...
Find an empty can next to a dead body.... the contents of the can must have killed the person. Two cans and awww sheeet, we gotta lawsuit. Gimme money, that will make my kid's death all better.
If you look closely on the back of the can, where it would normally say "Nutrition Facts", it says "Supplement Facts". As such, these energy drinks are treated as health supplements. By doing this, they are not treated as a food or beverage and are instead treated as a herbal health supplement.
By doing this, they avoid practically all FDA oversight. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA) essentially prevents the FDA from any form of oversight with regards to herbal health supplements. It ties their hands pretty tight on what they can do about it and when. As long as they don't claim to cure, treat, or prevent any disease, they can market these products without the same extensive testing that would be required for pharma drugs. The FDA is essentially powerless to do anything about the products until well after they've been marketed.
Most of their power on supplements is related to their packaging guidelines and their marketing, and not actually the safety of the contents. I'm sure you've heard stories of herbal supplements not containing the substances they actually claim they do (cigarette ashes, , or not in the amounts they claim. That is because those stories come from independent labs who have been paid to test the products. There is only periodic FDA inspections of the facilities that produce these beverages. How many of us have had a boss or co-worker turn their backs on the rules at work when their boss isn't looking?
So the next time you reach for a bottle of St. Johns Wort or Echinacea...Think about that. The next time you drink an energy drink that contains chemicals first identified in bull urine (Taurine puts the bull in Red Bull), take a look at the back. Read the facts and ingredients.
Because the truth is, nobody knows if what you're drinking is safe until you, or somebody else who drinks it too, dies from it.
Four Loko anyone?
Four Loko was dangerous because the caffeine-alcohol combination. Not caffeine by itself. It led to alcohol poisoning/overdose because people were more drunk than they believed.
I'm aware of that. It also contains Taurine, and Guarana.
It was mostly designed to be a snarky ending comment demonstrating that a product can be shipped out untested, marketed in a way that implies a level of safety to the public (even though it should be common knowledge that it isn't safe), and results in severe injury or death.
Some of these drinks are even marketed under street drug names (Purple Drank, Cocaine, etc). I'm semi-surprised they haven't tried marketing bath salts like this.
They're all dangerous to various degrees, and in ways that might not be tested or even labeled. In ways we might not even know about until we get to do an autopsy on somebody (weight loss supplements are a good example).
I'm glad you missed the point entirely and chose to debate my closing statement instead because I've actually got this new drink out that will get you through the work day and make you feel like you can take over the world. It's called Krystal Meth (or sugar-free Krystal Meth Light), and I feel like it's perfect for you.
swifter--no, Four Loko was not dangerous because of caffeine/alcohol combination, at least it was not more dangerous than an Irish Coffee or a red bull and vodka, items one can easily make at home or order at just about any bar in America.
The incident in Washington State that led to Four Loko's downfall really had nothing to do with Four Loko, other than it was one of the drinks being served. But they were spiking their four loko with liquor, getting drunker faster. The caffeine was barely relevant, but because Four loko was new, and had a low-brow/working class/college kid association, it got singled out for regulatory targetting even though banning it did absoluetly nothing to make anyone any safer.
Caffiene + Alcohol is a bad idea. It just is.
Jager Bombs anything but good for you, and when I was trained to bar tend, we were told to keep an eye on customers that order them because the combination can cause somebody to get pretty belligerent real fast or require medical services before you know it. None of the other bartenders drank them (on their off-time obviously) because it's just stupid to do that to yourself.
Drinking is rough enough on the body without adding stimulants. Why you would want to be a hopped-up drunk is beyond me anyway. But I drink a Martini or two when I prefer to relax and enjoy an evening, instead of getting sh*tfaced with a bunch of dudebros playing sparks-pong.
Perhaps people should get more rest, then they won't have to rely on jazzed-up drinks to get them through life.
It's sad that a child died. To those that are blaming the family or the child herself, no where in this article did it say the inherited heart condition was diagnosed before her autopsy. So get a grip and stop trashing the family when you're making assumptions. You don't know if she was aware of her heart condition.
Lol. This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Caffeine toxicity from 2 cans a day for 2 days? This girl clearly had some underlying condition and Monster should in no way be held responsible for her death. I'm sorry, but I drink more than 2 a day at work with an already elevated heart rate with no issues whatsoever. So do millions of other people. I know it's horrible, but your daughter had an underlying, un-diagnosed heart condition that caused her death. Not Monster or caffeine.
I personally don't like the taste of Monster, so I choose different energy drinks. I will drink a Monster if there's nothing else available or there's some ridiculously good sale, but the taste just isn't for me. That said, I would defend the company because their products do not harm consumers in any way. In order to achieve caffeine toxicity, a 14 year old would have to drink quite a few more than 2 of these.
Let me get this clear.
Because the girl didn't know she had an underlying heart condition, it's her fault she's dead? Are you suggesting that somebody should see a doctor before drinking energy drinks? I'm sure most Americans are going to do that, right?
These things don't always show symptoms until you are really in a bad place. Which begs the question as to why you would admit to taking stimulants when you -are- aware that you have an elevated heart rate. That sounds like a really smart idea.
Saying their products don't harm consumers in any way is disingenuous. Caffeine is a drug, and it can be harmful and dangerous. Caffiene, by all accounts, is more dangerous than Marijuana, and that's illegal. Many of the herbal blends contain substances that haven't gone through decades of testing and could prove to have long-term health issues we aren't even aware of yet. That's not including side effects that cause harm on their own, like insomnia.
Maybe it wasn't the caffeine that pushed her over, but all the other chemicals that amplified the effects combined with a heart condition she may not have been aware of. Any time you take a stimulant, you're pushing your body harder than it should be going. That takes it's toll on your body whether you like it or not.
The bottom line is that you walk a dangerous line when you screw around with your heart's rhythm. Even a little bit. I'm not saying ban them, but I'm also not giving them a harm-free pass.
That kind of mentality leads to deaths like this. So do yourself a favor. Find out what you're putting in your body and please drink responsibly.
Let's me get this clear-
Because a girl unaware of her genetic risk factors consumes a drink that is safely consumed by 99.99% of the people who drink it winds up dead after drinking the drink, it's clearly the drink's fault and the company's fault for not knowing that this unknown genetic factor when combined with large quantities of their beverage (quantities which could be obtained through countless other beverages, BTW), could possibly have contributed to her death.
Harmlessness is entirely relative. Nothing is absolute. But let's not pretend that something that causes no serious side effects in the majority of people who consume it and may---MAY--be a factor in less than 1/100th of a percent of the people that drink is worthy of some kind regulatory tag as harmful.
At no point did I say that it was clearly the drink maker's fault. I'm saying a combination of things could have played a factor. Lax oversight, new chemicals designed in a laboratory with limited testing, and legal loopholes on ALL ENERGY DRINKS.
You're not going to get a big swig of Taurine and Guarana in too many things other than energy drinks, so your countless beverages jab is pretty silly. We're not talking about Orange Juice here.
It's also about as silly as the made-up 99.99% figure you give. I've personally had a heart attack from a combination of heart issues and these type of products. I've also known others who have been hospitalized after drinking them, and then discovered they had a heart condition.
Did I sue or blame the company? No. But I also don't sit here and make up figures like they're truth. Because I'm pretty sure yours isn't as rock solid as you claim.
I'm simply saying that maybe a list of potential side effects relating to their particular energy blends (each one is a little different) would be more than enough to inform the consumer. It would also offer the company much more legal protection. Further testing to ensure that the chemicals and herbal blends don't cause slow, long-term harm would also be nice.
Aspirin carries a list of potential side effects and warnings, and most of us consider it pretty safe. Is it really too much to ask?
In the end, I believe that that it's up to the consumer to make smart decisions about what to put in their body. I learned from my mistakes. But I also think that a company that cares for their consumers shouldn't mind helping the consumer be more aware about their product, and do everything they can to minimize the harm they cause.
I personally believe that all drugs should be legal. We can save money by not prohibiting them and make money taxing them. It also eliminates many of the drug war issues. Because people aren't going to stop. Simple fact is, people will either survive it, get help, or die. None of which is really my problem. But for those who want help, it should be provided, and could be paid for with some of the taxes.
If there is any room for harm reduction, it should be done.
Would you bet millions of dollars on a jury to get it right? Hell no! They'll settle when the numbers are right. Extortion, pretty much.
Sure, a steady diet of that stuff is good for no one. People with heart conditions should know that anything that accelerates the heartbeat is not a good idea. If she drank them knowing she ahs a heart condition, bad on her, her parents should not sue. Terrible a young girl is dead, but I think there is more to this story, certainly more than just 2 monster drinks...And if the heart condition was unknown and she drank Monster, then tragic death, but no one's fault. Either way the company is not responsible for this childs death. The parents are hurting and looking for someone to blame.
No matter what's put in a can, box, or bag, Humans will find a way to misuse it.
A Sears Repairman once told me "There's nothing in The Catalog that hasn't been made love to."
This is a Parental Guidance issue. I assume these ones had covered cigarettes, alcohol, and "drugs", but missed caffeine, datura, and nitrous.
Disclosure: I have no kids, therefore a pretty thin view.
It is time for people to take responsibility. This was not a toaster blowing in your face or a car with defective breaks, which there are things you can't control and were maybe hidden from you. The energy drink's can clearly states the amount of caffeine that it has and every body knows that if you drink too much is too dangerous. If their daughter "chose" to drink that many, it was her choice. No body forced her to do that. If someone did force her, then they should sue that person.
Also, if as a parent you were not aware of what she was doing, then, it is also your fault for not keeping open communication.
It is troublesome when a minority of ignorant people attempts to persuade to have restricting laws placed to the majority.
I'd like to reveal a personal story that happened to me 10 years ago.
In 2002, I was in the Navy studying as a Nuclear Reactor Operator Electronics Technician, and I was 20 years old. A day before our finals, a shipmate brought 8-10 Amp Energy drinks for us to pull an all nighter.
I'm a skinny 5'8 120 lbs and I downed 2 cans in less than 30 minutes during lunch and I couldn't eat anything or all day for that matter because everytime I grabbed the fork to eat, I felt like I was going through 'tunnel-vision' and my vision felt like I was going through some kind of hyper-sonic speed tunnel. I was freaking out but everyone else was telling me to relax. My heart was racing and I felt like I was going to explode or pass out or something.
For the rest of the day , I studied all the material but couldn't sleep because of the caffeine yet I was mentally exhausted...
Well to make a long story short, no one else had that problem except for me, and I kept asking the 3 or 4 other shipmates who took the Amp Energy drink. I think no one else downed 2 cans that fast , maybe that's the difference.
Anyhow, I only slept an hour or two and for the finals I barely passed but ever since then, I kept telling everyone how I was hallucinating and tripping out on Energy drinks in the Military. Well that's my story and hopefully there's someone who can relate. No I didn't take any pills or vitamins, or coffee or hung over or anything. No, I don't have any past mental problems or physical problems. It was on an empty stomach.
By the way, please don't down 2 cans of Energy drinks in less than 30 minutes if you are a skinny individual, you will really be sorry. >.< ~Cheers.
I have had to take my son to the ER twice now in the past 3 years due to caffeine overdose from abusing these drinks. You would think he would have learned the first time he had to go there. He was given these by his "friends" while at school (they brought them to school even though these drinks are banned). The second time my wife and I were sitting out on the patio and he comes in and says "my heart feels funny". Well when you hear something like that from your 15 year old son it is probably the worst thing that could happen to you short of his death. We took him to the ER and it turns out he did not eat or drink anything that day except for 4 larges cans of these drinks. To top that off it was 100 degrees out and he was riding his bike in it. 7 hours later we got home ($5,000 bill.) His heart rate was in the 200 plus beats per minute range and he was shaking and pretty much out of it. He was in a caffeine overdose and was put on an IV. As other people have said caffeine is not that bad when used in moderation. I agree with that statement when it applies to adults but not to a minor at all. These drinks need to be at the very least restricted to adults only, just like any other mind/body altering chemical. They are being marketed to minors and young adults as some kind of "power" drink with no mention of the nasty side effects that could happen. It is no different than targeting kids with cigarettes or alcohol in my opinion. They also contain unregulated chemicals which who knows what the long and short term affects are (not to mention the large amounts of sugar). Minors should not be using these just like alcohol (I know that would never be enforceable but the message needs to get out). Unfortunately it is going to take more deaths of kids to make this happen. These are bad for kids and not that great for the parents either