14-Year-Old Girl, Dies After Drinking 2 Energy Drinks

A 14-year-old girl from Maryland died last December after downing two Monster energy drinks in a 24-hour-period, according to news reports, and the incident is stirring concern over the safety of the beverages for kids.

It should be noted that the girl, Anais Fournier, had a heart condition, called mitral valve prolapse -- which means that one of her heart valves has malfunctioned. The National Institutes of Health reports that the condition is usually harmless, and as many as one in 10 people has a minor form of the condition.

After she drank two of the energy drinks -- which together contained 480 milligrams of caffeine -- she went into cardiac arrest a day later and died from cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity, TODAY reported.

"She was at the mall with her friends the night before, and had a 24-ounce energy drink," Fournier's mother, Wendy Crossland, told the Record Herald. "She drank another one less than 24 hours later, even though she knew I do not allow them because I know they are bad for you. She went into cardiac arrest three hours later at home."

TODAY reported that the amount of caffeine Fournier drank in the two Monster energy drinks is about the same as that found in 14 cans of Coca Cola -- and is almost five times the recommended caffeine limit from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Caffeine is a stimulant, and is found in a multitude of food products, from coffee, to chocolate, to sodas -- and the amounts found in those products usually are not enough to cause any harm to health, Medscape noted.

But caffeine poisoning is not uncommon in the U.S. TODAY reported that cases of caffeine poisoning have increased over the last few years, from 1,128 in 2005 to 13,114 in 2009.

A recent study in the journal Pediatrics showed that anywhere from 30 percent to 50 percent of teens and young adults drink energy drinks. Nearly half of the 5,448 reported caffeine overdoses in 2007 were in people younger than 19.

"The known and unknown pharmacology of agents included in such drinks, combined with reports of toxicity, raises concern for potentially serious adverse effects in association with energy drink use," researchers wrote in that study. "In the short-term, pediatricians need to be aware of the possible effects of energy drinks in vulnerable populations and screen for consumption to educate families."

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Four Things You Should Know About ENERGY DRINKS

Teens and young adults spend an estimated $2.3 billion annually on energy drinks laced with caffeine and herbal stimulants. But these aggressively marketed and pricey beverages (called “drugs in a can” and “a pharmacological Molotov cocktail” by Oklahoma State University researchers in one recent report) do more than clean out their wallets.

Over 5,000 reported caffeine overdoses in recent years—46 percent in kids age 18 and younger—have been attributed to them, say University of Miami researchers in a 2011 study in the journal Pediatrics. With caffeine levels up to three to five times higher than a 12-ounce cola, these drinks may also contain rev-you-up herbal stimulants like guarana and yerba mate.

Liver damage, kidney failure, respiratory disorders, agitation, seizures, psychotic problems, muscle break-down, off-rhythm heartbeats, high blood pressure, heart failure, heart attack and even death have been reported in energy drink users in Europe, the U. of Miami researchers warned. And kids taking medications for attention deficit disorders or who have diabetes or heart problems may be at extra risk.

Denmark, Sweden, Australia and Germany have partial or complete bans on their sale to kids. Last fall, Canada began requiring new warnings and stricter caffeine limits. What’s happening in the U.S.? Here’s what parents should know:

The U.S. has no standard definition of an ‘energy drink.’ The Food and Drug Administration only sets caffeine levels on cola drinks, allowing energy-drink makers to pack their beverages with more. (The American Beverage Association has voluntary guidelines for caffeine limits and warning labels, but not all drink makers comply.) Many contain even higher levels than may be listed on the label, because herbs like yerba mate also pack considerable amounts of caffeine.

They’re marketed aggressively to preteens and teens. Flavors like strawberry lemonade and apple cherry and slogans like “party like a rock star!” and ‘ultimate energy rush’ are just the beginning. Energy-drink websites lure kids with come-ons about bands, athletes and celebrities. Coupons and free samples get them started.

Energy drinks don’t help performance. They made timing, coordination, alertness and concentration worse in one Oklahoma State University study of student pilots. In fact, after triggering a burst of stress hormones and feel-good brain chemicals, your energy levels plummet.

One can isn’t one serving. Many contain 2 or even 4 servings per can—but who (especially a thirsty teen) stops at a quarter-can? Drinking the whole thing means they’ve just downed two to four times more caffeine than they’d get from a single serving.

What can you do? Talk with your kid about the downsides of these drinks. And help them save money (energy drinks can cost $2 to $4 a can) by offering bottled water, herbal iced tea (make it at home with fruity herbal tea bags, water, and a little sugar) or seltzer with juice or a squeeze of lemon.

Let us know what you’re doing—and how you feel about energy drinks marketed to kids by leaving your comments here.

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