Energy drink sales rise along with concerns

Sales of energy drinks and shots are soaring, just as medical concerns are increasing about the popularity of the high-caffeine drinks among young people.

Energy drinks had 13.3% dollar sales growth in 2010 and received a "significant boost" from energy shot sales at convenience stores, says a report out this month from market research firm SymphonyIRI Group. This beat the other top 10 consumer packaged goods categories in grocery, drug, mass merchandise and convenience stores, excluding Walmart.

"Energy drinks have been one of the shining stars of the beverage universe over the last decade, with heady, double-digit growth," says Gary Hemphill of Beverage Marketing.

American Beverage Association science chief Maureen Storey says energy drinks are no worse than coffee. A 16-ounce cup of Starbucks' Pike Place coffee has 330 mg of caffeine. That size of latte has 160 mg — the same as a 16-ounce can of the energy drink Monster Energy, which bills itself as "a killer energy brew" that "you can really pound down."

The Food and Drug Administration limits the amount of caffeine in soft drinks to 71 mg for 12 ounces but doesn't regulate the caffeine in energy drinks, coffee or tea.

Barbara Crouch, head of Utah's poison control center, says people typically don't "gulp" coffee like they do energy drinks and shots. This leads them to accumulate higher concentrations of caffeine more quickly, which can cause anxiousness, palpitations and "more significant heart-rhythm disturbances." She also worries about young athletes drinking them because they are dehydrating.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers, which started coding for energy drinks this year, received 340 reports about energy drinks from January through March 3. Most were minor. A recent report in Pediatrics warned about links between caffeine in energy drinks, high blood pressure, increased alcohol consumption and even addiction among young people.

Reports of people, including teens, with serious medical problems after consuming energy drinks are on the rise.

Monica Hassell, whose 27-year-old husband, Antonio, died of a heart attack that she says was caused by his heavy use of 5-Hour Energy shots, is suing the manufacturer, Living Essentials. Company spokeswoman Elaine Lutz would not comment on the litigation but says 5-Hour Energy is a "safe and effective dietary supplement."

Jim Shepherd says his 15-year-old son Brian died in 2008 of an "acute arrhythmic event" after drinking a sample handed out by Red Bull at a paintball tournament in Canada.

He says he's collected 12 reports from others about the drinks. They are now among more than 80 "adverse reactions" — about half "serious" — involving energy drinks in a Health Canada database.

"Caffeinated energy products should not be available to minors," says Shepherd. "Energy shots, with their prominent position in stores and concentrated form, pose the worst potential threat of energy products."