How safe are energy drinks?

For a little extra kick, a lot of people turn to energy drinks. But how safe are they? The Food and Drug Administration is looking into five deaths and a non-fatal heart attack after reports they may be linked to highly caffeinated Monster Energy drinks.

One of the deaths involved 14-year-old Anais Fournier of Hagerstown, Md. She died in December after drinking two 24-ounce Monster Energy drinks within a 24-hour period.

An autopsy found she died of cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity. It also concluded she had an in inherited disorder that can weaken blood vessels.
“The problem is these kids are drinking these energy drinks, they have an underlying condition, it’s like pouring gasoline on a fire,” said Fournier family attorney Kevin Goldberg. The family of Anais Fournier has filed a wrongful death suit against the Corona-based Monster Beverage Corp., claiming it failed to warn consumers about the risk of drinking its products.

Two 24-ounce cans of the Monster Energy drink contain 480 milligrams of caffeine. According to the lawsuit, that amounts to the caffeine found in fourteen 12-ounce cans of Coca Cola.

Monster Beverage Corp. released this statement about the case:
“Monster is saddened by the untimely passing of Anais Fournier, and its sympathies go out to her family.

“Monster does not believe that its products are in any way responsible for the death of Ms. Fournier and intends to vigorously defend the lawsuit.”