Before you add that energy drink to your grocery cart, consider the caffeine content.
Founded by internet personality Logan Paul, PRIME drinks are a popular choice for energy drink consumers. The drinks claim to have no added sugar and contain a high amount of caffeine per serving — as much as 200 mg for 12 ounces.
The drinks are especially popular among children and teenagers.
That’s why Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate the product, saying the brand is aimed at children but doesn’t properly warn parents about the amount of caffeine in its drinks.
In his call for action to the FDA, Schumer pointed out that PRIME has more caffeine than a cup of coffee, a can of Coke and a Red Bull.
“The FDA should help educate consumers about caffeine intake recommendations, the dangers of excessive caffeine consumption, and create ways for highly caffeinated beverages and foods to carry large, visible consumer warning labels,” Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDCES, nutrition consultant and author of “The Two Day diet for diabetes,” he said Health.
PRIME drinks list warnings on energy drink cans and company website states that energy drinks are not for those under 18 or who are pregnant.
However, warning labels are often small and on the back of the can.
“Because PRIME offers both hydration and energy drinks, it can be easy for parents and kids to buy an energy drink without realizing that the caffeine content is so high,” Palinski-Wide said.
Jennifer Temple, Ph.Ddirector of the Nutrition and Health Research Laboratory at the University at Buffalo, added that research shows that warning labels — like those on PRIME — can increase someone’s attraction to consuming the beverage.
While placing limits on the sale of highly caffeinated beverages to children is important, Temple explains that it’s challenging because of the way the regulations are set. Energy drinks like PRIME are classified as supplements rather than beverages because they contain other nutrients, such as electrolytes and vitamins.
“That means they’re not subject to the same regulations as things like soda,” she said Health.
According to the FDA, 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, which is about four or five cups of coffee, is generally not associated with dangerous, negative effects for healthy adults.
According to Palinski-Wade, children who consume large amounts of caffeine may experience hyperactivity, anxiety, rapid heart rate, insomnia, irritability, or in severe cases, caffeine overdose. Caffeine overdose can include vomiting, high blood pressure, fast heart rate, heart rhythm problems, disorientation and hallucinations.
She also explained that caffeine has a half-life of 6 to 8 hours, meaning that in 6 to 8 hours, half of the ingested caffeine is still circulating in the body.
Children have an exaggerated response because they are smaller, so the effective dose — such as milligrams of caffeine per body weight — is higher, Temple said.
Children also do not tend to consume caffeine on the same regular basis as adults, so they are less likely to develop a tolerance to its effects.
“This means that caffeine may have stronger effects at typical doses and that children are less likely to experience withdrawal, so caffeine may have direct positive effects on children, as opposed to primarily acting by reversing withdrawal symptoms, which is common in adults.” who are regular consumers. “, Temple said.
She noted that caffeine can be fatal in very high doses (about 10 grams), “but it would be almost impossible to consume this much caffeine in its typical form, so fatal overdoses occur with the use of powdered caffeine.”
“However, we do not have data on higher levels nor do we have data on repeated consumption over time,” Temple said. “It is possible that this could have adverse physiological and psychological effects if multiple energy drinks are consumed in relatively close proximity to each other.”
Even if the drink isn’t particularly harmful, she noted, there aren’t any known positive health benefits.
“(And) we know it affects sleep, so I caution parents to be aware of the caffeine content of the beverages children are consuming, to limit any caffeine consumption in the afternoon and evening, and to keep overall caffeine consumption to a minimum,” she said.
To find the caffeine content of various beverages, visit the US Department of Agriculture FoodData Central database.
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) opposes the sale and marketing of energy drinks and related products to persons under the age of 18 due to the inclusion of the following ingredients: caffeine, methylxanthines, B vitamins, guarana, yerba mate, bitter orange, ginger, ginkgo, St. John’s wort, ginseng and taurine.
For some people, high caffeine intake can increase blood sugar and blood pressure, making it potentially unsafe for those with underlying health conditions, Palinski-Wade said.
When it comes to the heart, Mostafa El-Refai, MDinterventional cardiologist at the Norton Heart & Vascular Institute, said the data are conflicting, while several studies have looked at caffeine’s effects on the heart.
For example, while cardiologists have advised people with atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias to avoid caffeine, he said recent studies show that caffeine in moderate amounts is safe and does not make these conditions worse.
In general, he said, moderate amounts of caffeine, equivalent to 1 to 3 cups of coffee, are considered safe.
“There are products with caffeine equivalent to more than 20 cups of coffee in one teaspoon. “Caffeine in this extreme amount can cause the heart to beat faster and blood pressure to increase,” said El-Refai.
For those taking heart medications, he said there are no known major interactions between heart medications and caffeine, but he recommended people be aware that “(some) over-the-counter and prescription cold and flu medications can they work because some of the ingredients have stimulating effects.”
In addition to physical effects, caffeine can also have mental health effects.
According to a systematic review published in General hospital psychiatry, Caffeine in doses roughly equivalent to 5 cups of coffee causes panic attacks in a large number of people with panic disorder (PD).
In addition to increasing anxiety in people with PD, the review also found that caffeine at this level also increased anxiety in healthy adults, although the researchers noted that the exact relationship between caffeine-induced anxiety and panic attacks is still unknown.
While caffeine can provide a tempting boost, Palinski-Wade said water is the best choice to drink for staying well hydrated and boosting energy levels.
And if caffeine still tempts you, it’s safer to opt for a less intense option.
“It’s easy for adults to enjoy moderate caffeine intake with a cup of brewed coffee or tea with an energy drink.”