Power Brands reviews the debate around the potential dangers of energy drinks. While energy drink manufacturers claim their products contain similar caffeine levels to coffee, some health professionals argue that energy drinks are consumed differently in a way that delivers caffeine more rapidly. They maintain that the FDA should regulate caffeine levels in energy drinks. A letter signed by 18 health professionals outlines concerns regarding the scientific evidence linking energy drinks to health issues like increased heart rate and emergency room visits. Power Brands is interested in these studies on the effects of mixing energy drinks and alcohol.

1. Power Brands Reviews Caffeine
Power Brands Consulting reviews the recent activity surrounding energy drinks and the potential
dangers they could pose. Manufacturers of the highly-caffeinated beverages claim that there is no
more caffeine in an energy drink than in the popular brands of gourmet coffees. However, several
of the highest-ranking health professionals in the US state that the caffeine in an energy drink is
much different than that in a Starbuck's coffee...in “three important ways.” They maintain that
the FDA should apply GRAS standards to the energy beverages with added caffeine. In the letter
from these health professionals, the point is made that while coffee is sipped slowly by the
consumer, people tend to “chug” energy drinks, or drink them much faster, thus receiving a much
higher level of caffeine in a much shorter time period. Power Brand's beverage consultant Darin
Ezra wonders if this could make the energy drinks more dangerous if consumers are not warned.
A spokeswoman for the American Beverage Association disagrees, “Most energy drinks contain
about half the caffeine of a similarly-sized cup of coffeehouse coffee and the body of evidence
does not suggest that energy drinks cause adverse health outcomes.”
However, a letter from the doctors to the commissioner of the FDA, Margaret Hamburg referred
to the beverages as “highly caffeinated energy drinks,” and commented on many concerns to the
safety of them, including scientific, political, and consumer issues. The group of eighteen who
signed the letter stated, “As researchers, scientists, clinicians, and public health professionals
who have studied and conducted research on energy drinks, we are writing this letter to
summarize the scientific evidence on this issue and encourage action.” Among these
professionals is Amelia Arria from the University of Maryland Public School Health, Mary
Claire O'Brien of Wake Forest School of Medicine, and Roland Griffiths of John Hopkins
University School of Medicine. They studied the levels of caffeine in the beverages, and their
links to death, visits to emergency rooms, heart issues, seizures, childhood obesity, and other
issues. In the studies, which the professionals conducted themselves, the effects of mixing energy
drinks with alcohol were also noted. It is a study which Power Brands is taking a keen interest in.