Energy drinks
Energy drinks are beverages primarily designed to boost energy and mental alertness, usually containing high levels of caffeine and other stimulants. Although they have been available in the United States since the mid-1900s, their popularity surged in the early 2000s, particularly among younger consumers, including teenagers and young adults. Key brands like Red Bull, Monster, and Rockstar captured significant market share, leading to a booming industry valued at approximately $14.3 billion by 2020.
Despite their widespread use, energy drinks have attracted considerable health concerns. Studies have linked their consumption to serious health risks, including heart issues, seizures, dehydration, and even fatalities. Reports indicate that misuse and excessive consumption have resulted in thousands of emergency room visits. Additionally, the combination of energy drinks with alcohol raises further safety issues, as it can mask the effects of intoxication.
Regulatory scrutiny has increased over the years, prompting discussions about potential bans in various countries and calls for stricter regulations in the U.S. As awareness of the potential long-term health effects grows, ongoing research and public dialogue continue regarding the safety and marketing of energy drinks.
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Energy drinks
Although energy drinks have been in circulation in the United States since the mid-1900s, not until the early 2000s did the drinks enjoy widespread consumption. Their integration into American culture has caused an industry boom as well as attracted greater concern regarding the drinks’ potential health risks.
Typically reliant on caffeine to boost stamina, energy drinks in the United States primarily target younger Americans. The drinks are most widely used by teenagers and those under thirty-five and appeal to a largely male consumer base. Like coffee and tea—which are not considered “energy drinks” since their caffeine is naturally occurring—energy drinks are marketed to students in order to provide extra energy to study or to complete homework and athletes hoping to enhance athletic and mental acuity.
Following early attempts at energy drink production, Red Bull, an Austrian drink, was introduced in the United States in 1997. It was joined by other popular energy drinks such as Monster, Rockstar, Hype, and Full Throttle. The industry grew from $8 million in sales in 2001 to $5.4 billion in 2007. Trends in packaging energy drinks changed at about the same time; while energy drink containers grew larger, providing multiple servings per can to accommodate caffeine restrictions, energy “shots” were condensed into smaller, more concentrated cans. In 2007, the industry also began to produce energy drink powder and tablets to be mixed with water.
As the drinks grew in popularity, critics began to assess their negative effects on health. Pharmacists and hospitals had initially hailed the drinks as a beneficial supplement to boost patients’ energy levels. Medical professionals began to view the drinks as potentially harmful, however. The Food and Drug Administration cited a 2009 study that linked eighteen deaths and 13,000 hospital visits to energy drink consumption. According to a July 2014 article in the American Journal of Public Health, consumers of energy drinks visited emergency rooms more than 20,000 times in 2011; about half of the ER visits concerned adverse side effects caused by the misuse or abuse of energy drinks.
Excessive energy drink consumption has been reported to cause death, seizures, dehydration, deterioration of tooth enamel, and is known to interfere with heart and brain function. When the industry marketed a line of drinks with added alcohol, these effects were compounded. Furthermore, energy drinks can mask the effect of alcohol, leading a consumer to believe they are sober when in actuality that is not the case. After a popular brand, Four Loko, was banned in several states, the product was reintroduced in 2010 without caffeine and was no longer marketed as an energy drink.
Energy drink companies have been the subject of various lawsuits. Monster Beverage Corporation was sued in 2012 for the 2011 death of a fourteen-year-old Maryland girl who suffered cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity after she drank two 24-ounce Monster drinks within twenty-four hours. Red Bull was sued for $85 million in 2013 for the alleged wrongful death in 2011 of Cory Terry, who died after drinking Red Bull during a basketball game. In 2014 Red Bull, charged with a 2013 class action lawsuit for falsely advertising that the energy drink could enhance a user's performance, settled out of court for $13 million, or a $10 reimbursement for each consumer who bought even just one can of the energy drink between 2002 and 2014.
Restaurant chain Panera Bread faced backlash following its introduction of Charged Lemonade, a caffeinated fountain beverage that contained high amounts of caffeine. The chain stopped offering the beverage in 2024 following several lawsuits that asserted the drink caused two deaths and cardiac injuries in others.
By 2018, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, a subset of the National Institutes of Health, warned that growing evidence suggested that energy drinks can have a number of negative health effects, including high blood pressure, heart rhythm irregularity, and other cardiovascular issues. The organization specifically warned that these effects can worsen in children, teenagers, and young adults. During this time energy drinks remained popular, and Yahoo! Finance reported that the US energy drink market was worth an estimated $14.3 billion in 2020.
Impact
In response to the potential dangers of energy drink consumption, many countries have attempted to ban them. While the drinks are still readily available in the United States, critics have called for greater regulation through the FDA. Further regulation and research have been particularly needed, as the long-term effects of massive consumption of energy drinks remained largely unknown.
Bibliography
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Valinsky, Jordan. "Panera Is Dropping Charged Lemonade, the Subject of Multiple Wrongful Death Lawsuits." CNN, 7 May 2024, www.cnn.com/2024/05/07/food/panera-charged-lemonade-discontinued/index.html. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.