FDA Investigates Energy Drink Side Effects

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Food and Drug Administration is taking a closer look at energy drinks to determine whether they are harmful to your health.

The FDA is currently conducting an investigation into the possibility of a link between 13 deaths that occurred in the last four years and the 5-Hour Energy drink. The agency is also investigating five other deaths that could be linked to the Monster energy drinks.

Some doctors say the high concentration of caffeine and similar ingredients in energy drinks can take a toll on a persons body, and it is difficult to measure how much of those ingredients a persons body can handle.

Dr. Marchel Casavant says he has seen a number of patients who have had seizures after consuming these drinks. Weve gotten a number of calls, somewhere in the hundreds, from people complaining about the effects from these products.

The makers of the 5-Hour Energy drink say the drink should be taken in moderation.

Caffeine is not a bad thing, except in very large quantities. Its actually helpful in a lot of areas, said 5-Hour Energy Inventor Manjo Bhargava.

Casavant says the drinks are similar to amphetamines. These are things that are not really providing energy, just stimulating the body out.

He says people with heart conditions need to be extra careful when consuming the drinks and children should not consume them at all.

Doctors say sudden death can result from a rapid heart rate, while some bodies can tolerate or build a tolerance to caffeine, it still affects the heart and blood pressure.

Sometimes there are a bunch of warning signs before something really bad happens like a seizure, or an arithmya of the heart, or it stops beating in an organized fashion. Sometimes there are no warning signs, said Casavant.

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FDA Investigates Energy Drink Side Effects