Five people have died after drinking caffeine laden Monster Energy drinks, according to media reports.
Both the New York Times and Fox News are reporting that there have been 5 deaths, and one person suffered a non-fatal heart attack, after drinking Monster Energy. The energy drinks are manufactured by Corona, California, based Monster Beverage Corp.
Monster Energy drinks come in 24 ounce cans and contain 240 mg of caffeine.
For comparison, a 12 ounce can of regular Coke contains 30 to 35 mg. That makes 240 mg sound like a huge amount, and perhaps it is. That’s the comparison the major media sites use when speaking of how much caffeine is loaded into the Monster Energy drinks.
However, according to Mayo, an 8 ounce cup of generic coffee can contain a range from 95 to 200 mg of caffeine. Coffeeresearch.org states that the average coffee drinker drinks just over 3 cups a day.
That would suggest quite a few people, coffee drinkers at least, are consuming well more than 240 mg a day. Not saying that’s a healthy amount here – just saying it may not be as unusual of an occurrence as some other news sites suggest.
Most coffee drinkers are adults though, and according to reports, Monster Drinks are most popular among teens.
In fact, the one person that has been identified as dying after consuming a Monster Drink was a young teen, just 14 years old. And she didn’t drink one can of Monster Energy, but two, within 24 hours. An autopsy ruled the teen, Anais Fournier, died of cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity. Her parents are now suing Monster Beverage Corp.
The company has not made a statement concerning charges that the drink was responsible for the child’s death. A warning statement is included on cans indicating that the drink is not recommended for children. But the energy drink’s website clearly appears to be geared toward teens.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating the reports of deaths related to Monster Energy drinks. According to Fox News, the reports date back to 2004. The FDA just says, so far, that the reports do not prove there is a link between the deaths and the drink. The investigation is continuing.
Do you think the deaths are related to the high amount of caffeine in the energy drinks? Would you let your child drink Monster Energy drinks? Leave your comments below.
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