Energy drinks can contain same caffeine as 14 cans of pop: study
25.09.2008 19:02
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
Some energy drinks contain as much caffeine as 14 cans of Coca-Cola and have no labels warning consumers about potential health risks, say researchers with Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The scientists reviewed energy drinks and published their findings in the September issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Discovering that the caffeine content of such drinks varies from 50 to more than 500 milligrams, they argue for prominent labelling so consumers know whether they are getting a little or a lot of caffeine. Your View Should all caffeinated drinks be labeled? "It's like drinking a serving of an alcoholic beverage and not knowing if it's beer or scotch," study co-author and professor of behavioural biology Roland Griffiths said in a news release Wednesday. Caffeine intoxication is marked by nervousness, anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, gastrointestinal upset, tremors, rapid heartbeats, agitation and in very rare cases, death. While the researchers highlighted their concerns over potential for inadvertent caffeine intoxication, Griffiths also noted that most of the drinks advertise their products as performance enhancers and stimulants. He said that's a marketing strategy that may put young people at risk for abusing even stronger stimulants. In Canada, caffeine does not have to be listed on labels unless it has been added to the product separately as a pure substance, says Health Canada. While there are many brands marketed as energy drinks in Canada, only Red Bull Energy Drink is authorized for sale as a natural health product. Health Canada recommends consumers limit themselves to 500 millilitres or two cans of Red Bull a day, as indicated on the product label. It also advises against mixing the energy drink with alcohol. Health Canada says it has received four reports of adverse reactions involving energy drinks, with symptoms including electrolyte disturbances, nausea and vomiting, and heart irregularities. For women of childbearing age, it recommends a maximum daily caffeine intake of no more than 300 milligrams, or a little over two eight-ounce (237 ml) cups of coffee. For the rest of the general population of healthy adults, the long-standing advice still applies of no more than 400 mg of caffeine per day, the equivalent of about three eight-ounce (237ml) cups of brewed coffee. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal LinksYOUR VIEW: Should all caffeinated drinks be labeled?P.E.I. school wants caffeine-packed energy drinks bannedCBC Marketplace: Raging Bull Video Kas Roussy reports: Label caffeine in energy drinks: researchers (Runs: 2:12)Play: Real Media »Play: QuickTime »Health HeadlinesMothers of disabled children juggle work schedules: StatsCanThe parents of three out of five children with disabilities said their added responsibilities affected employment, and it was mothers who overwhelmingly said they adjusted their hours, Statistics Canada reported Thursday.Eating fish in infancy may help reduce eczema risk: studyFeeding infants fish before they reach nine months of age may help reduce their risk of developing eczema, a Swedish study suggests.Food recalls grow in Chinese tainted milk crisisFood recalls expanded in Europe and Asia on Thursday as an industrial chemical linked to the deaths of four babies turned up in candies and other Chinese-made exports that were quickly pulled from store shelves. Surgery for clogged carotid a waste if no stroke signs: studyThe vast majority of patients with narrowed carotid arteries but no warning signs of a stroke can avoid plaque-removing surgery and be treated instead with lifestyle changes and intensive drug therapy, researchers suggest.Family angered by man's ER deathFamily members of a wheelchair-bound man who died in a Winnipeg emergency room say they are shocked and angered he was ignored by hospital staff for more than a day. Health FeaturesHEALTHMultiple sclerosisHigh rates in Canada and around the worldIN DEPTHSafetyText messaging becomes a road hazardHEALTHPain pillsPros and cons of three popular pain relieversHEALTHExerciseFitness boot camps: Cross-training pulls in recruitsMEDICAL RESEARCHBrain banksCrucial for research, clamouring for donorsHEALTH & FITNESSPeter HadzipetrosZorba the obesePeople who read this also read …
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