insomnia, jitters, heart palpitations, anxiety The Gateway and increased blood pressure. The average ener- Drink? by Sarah McCoy gy drink is three times as strong as a cup of coffee, but some are 10 times as high. “You probably shouldn’t be drinking those without an ambulance standing by!” Miller says. “That may be an exaggera- tion, but there are ac- tually cases—one was in Colorado—where students were taken to the hospital after drinking Spike Shooters. One scientist says kids who gulp energy drinks are more likely to This is intense stuff.” drink, do drugs and hit someone with a hockey stick Dr. Danielle McCarthy at Northwestern University conducted a study at the Illinois Poison Center. The fi ndings: More than 250 Like tobacco products years ago, ener- What’s in Them? cases of caffeine abuse and some required gy drinks are under scrutiny for not warn- “Caffeine is an addictive drug,” says admission to the intensive care unit. ing users of their potential side effects. Bruce Goldberger, PhD, director of the Wil- Consumers won’t die from drinking highly liam R. Maples Center for Forensic Medi- Toxic Jock caffeinated beverages (well, maybe), but cine and director of toxicology at the Uni- Besides the potential physical dangers, their contents may not be the best to infi l- versity of Florida. “Even small doses can recent research has found that energy trate budding bodies and minds. have a pleasurable, reinforcing effect on drinks are linked to behavioral problems “I got a Mountain Dew Amp in my the brain.” down the road. hand right now,” says 19-year-old Andrew All energy drinks contain caffeine. “The Miller authored a report, published Christian. “Is it bad for me? I’m not sure, ingredients vary from there. Some include in the Journal of American College Health, but it gives me a lot of energy.” taurine, an amino acid. Herbal extracts like that indicated a strong relationship be- Christian says he’s drank energy drinks guarana, a natural form of caffeine. Milk tween the heavy use of energy drinks since he was 16 and he’s very much the thistle. Yohimbe, which is basically nature’s and risky behavior in athletes, termed norm. Energy drinks have become the li- Viagra. And then, they usually throw in a “toxic jock” behavior. bation of choice for millions. We see celeb- massive dose of B vitamins. The truth is, we Miller says athletes who get wrapped rities touting cans of pep wherever they go don’t know the interactive effects because up in an “ego orientation toward sports” are and even applaud them for drinking these the ingredient mix hasn’t been medically focusing more on beating their opponents in lieu of alcohol. tested,” Miller says. and less on being the best they can be. She According to Kathleen Miller, PhD, an Goldberger notes that children are calls this the “jock identity.” That identity addiction researcher at the University of particularly vulnerable to excessive caf- can be considered toxic because it is associ- Buffalo, some studies found that almost feine. A nationwide caffeine consumption ated with higher odds of things like drink- 50 percent of U.S. teens use energy drinks. survey conducted on children ages 5 to 18 ing, sexual risk taking and violence. “Parents should discourage the heavy use found that 98 percent consumed caffeine “People who drink a lot of energy of energy drinks. Preteens ought to avoid on a weekly basis. Another study con- drinks are also at elevated risk of devel- them altogether, and teenagers shouldn’t cluded that children and adolescents who oping this toxic jock identity,” Miller ex- be drinking more than a can a day at consumed high amounts of caffeine suf- plains. “The fi rst reason risk takers might most—even that isn’t ideal.” fered from caffeine-induced headaches, be drawn to energy drinks is that they September 2008 provide a caffeine buzz that can be just as MUCH MUCH intense as other illicit substances.” How is too ? The Appeal Research from Dr. Bruce Goldberg- from 29.5 to 45.4 mg of caffeine. But Many blame the marketing of these er, director of the William R. Maples when you get into the energy drinks, the products. “The energy drink industry has Center for Forensic Medicine and di- numbers jump dramatically. built a comprehensive and highly effective rector of toxicology at the University of An 8.3 ounce can of the popular mass marketing campaign that ties togeth- Florida, found some drinks are packing Red Bull contains 66.7 mg of caffeine, er risk taking and energy drinks. Red Bull a far bigger punch of caffeine than you while one 16 oz can of Monster packs a sponsors extreme sports events, which is might think. whopping 160. There are several energy harmless, but does encourage a sense of It’s generally considered safe to con- drinks that carry as much as 200 mg in recklessness. And then you’ve got several sume about 300 milligrams of caffeine as little as an 8 oz serving. Multiply that manufacturers who deliberately use drug- per day, about what you get from three by a couple of cans a day or during an related themes to market their products,” cups of coffee. A 12-ounce serving of evening out and you can easily cross the Miller says. your favorite soft drink contains anywhere safety threshold. The Food and Drug Administration re- cently pulled the energy drink Cocaine from 25-year-olds really, really appeals to young- caffeine concentration of 65 milligrams per the shelves. The company was marketing er teens. When you name your product 12-ounce serving, but does not regulate the the beverage as an alternative to the street Havoc, Rage, Bawls, Who’s your Daddy or caffeine content of energy drinks. Many of drug. Now, the drink is still sold but under Whoop Ass, teenagers fi nd that appealing.” the energy drinks surpass the soft drink a different name. Another is Blow Energy Goldberger agrees. “The marketing and limit in as little as 8 ounces. Mix, a white powder that is supposed to be use certainly creates the perception among In addition to watching for physi- mixed with liquid. It comes in a kit contain- young people that it’s okay to do drugs. cal signs of problems, Miller says parents ing a mirror and fake credit card for cutting Granted, it’s only caffeine, but the percep- need to be on the lookout for signs of purposes. Both of these are readily available tion is there.” “toxic jock” behavior. to anyone, any age. “If your kid’s a heavy consumer of en- “That kind of marketing sends the mes- Warning Signs ergy drinks and especially if you know that sage: Drink this stuff and think of yourself Canada, Australia and many Europe- he or she is also inclined to be a risk taker, as a risk taker and a rebel. It’s indirectly an countries require energy drinks to have those are red fl ags of elevated risks for other promoting health-compromising behav- warning labels, similar to the ones found on things: substance abuse, physical violence ior,” Miller explains. “Yes, I understand that packs of cigarettes and bottles of booze. The and sexual promiscuity,” Miller says. “Until the industry claims to market to 18- to United States has none. The FDA does rec- the FDA does something about it, it’s up to 25-year-olds. But what appeals to 18- to ommend that soft drinks have a maximum parents to be vigilant.” From Medicine to MAYHEM Energy drinks have come a long Red Bull can trace it’s roots back to a Japa- way from the days when they were pro- nese beverage called Lipovitan that was in- moted for their medicinal qualities. troduced in the early 1960s. Marketed in First marketed as a way to provide brown bottles as a way to alleviate physical a source of energy for people who and mental fatigue, the prime ingredient of were sick, Lucozade was introduced in Lipovitan is taurine. England in 1927. It basically contained The fi rst energy drink in the U.S. marketed glucose syrup and was available at hos- by a major beverage company was Josta, pitals throughout the United Kingdom. introduced by Pepsi in 1995. Josta was mar- Lucozade was re-branded as an energy keted as a “high-energy drink” with guarana drink in 1983. The immensely popular and caffeine. It was discontinued in 1999. September 2008 .