Since January 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been tracking the hostile health effects that could be caused by various popular health drinks or energy supplements. FDA’s Centre for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) have not yet officially taken a position for or against these products, even after injuries and deaths of consumers.
With CFSAN current indecisiveness means that energy drinks and supplement manufacturers are in the “Twilight Zone”. This term is used to describe the period after initial allegations are made but before a clear health hazard is made known. The investigations may come to no avail but it may just be the beginning of the end. Until a final decision is made by an industry or governmental agency, companies will find themselves in this awkward stage of purgatory.
Some of the current medical concerns around energy drinks include:
- Increased heart palpation, increase heart rate and blood pressure. This is especially a concern for those that already have heart-related medical issue. In the worst scenario, it can cause a fatal cardiac arrest.
- Among children and teenagers, increased intake of energy drinks can cause substance abuse and health issues. Since children are less tolerable to caffeine, it increases risky behaviour.
- Between January 2004 and March 2014, the FDA connect 34 possible deaths and 241 nonfatal incidents to the consumption of energy drinks.
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