Energy Drinks – Let’s call them what they are…toxic!

As a journalist, I was taught to be aware of the spin that different entities put on stories of various kinds. As a marketer, I have learned that putting the right spin on things is 90% of a sales marketer’s job. Being in the field of health communications, it makes my blood boil to see the misrepresentation of bad products that are presented as “natural.” In the least, they do not disclose what they truly are.  There are many offenders of this, but to me, energy drinks are the worst! And finally, someone of importance is taking notice. That someone is the attorney general of New York, Eric Schneiderman. He has subpoenaed three large makers of these so-called energy drinks as part of an investigation regarding whether the companies are misleading consumers about what is in their drink and the health risks they could pose. Woo-hoo! Even if the investigation goes nowhere, at least it brings to light the malice of these companies to even suggest that their products are anything but stimulants. These companies state that they are truthful about the ingredients in their products, and disclose such on their label. Schneiderman disagrees and says that all ingredients are not disclosed. To put it into perspective, these types of energy drinks have anywhere from 80 to 500 milligrams of caffeine. Compare that to the 50 milligrams in a 12-ounce cola, or the 100 milligrams in a 5-ounce traditional coffee. I’m all for people’s right to choose what they want to do with their life, their body, etc. However, they need to be presented with the facts and know the truth about things so that they can make educated decisions that better their health, happiness, and quality of life. Kudos to Schneiderman for calling attention to the responsibility companies have to disclose what is in their products and the risks associated with such.

Reference: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/29/business/new-york-state-is-investigating-energy-drinks.html?_r=1&smid=tw-nytimeshealth&seid=auto