Alert: ‘Monster’ Energy Drinks Linked to 5 Deaths, Says FDA

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The FDA reports that ‘Monster’ energy drinks have been linked to five deaths over the  past year. 

According to incident reports which doctors and companies submit to the FDA, five people reportedly consumed ‘Monster’ energy drinks prior to their deaths.  The FDA cautions people against drawing conclusions and says that the reports were voluntarily submitted by doctors and companies.

‘Bloomberg’ news reports that the FDA incident reports are being used as evidence by parents who claim that the drink led to caffeine toxicity in their children:

The FDA reports are being used by parents who sued Corona, California-based Monster last week, claiming the drinks led to caffeine toxicity that killed their 14-year-old daughter. Senator d**k Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, is asking the FDA to consider caffeine limits on energy drinks after emergency room visits involving such products jumped 10-fold from 2005 through 2009.

In an email to ’Bloomberg’, a spokesperson for the FDA said that the “FDA continues to evaluate the emerging science on a variety of ingredients, including caffeine.”

There were six deaths relating to the energy drinks in all, if you include a 2009 death, and at least 37 adverse reactions reported since 2004.

Deaths related to this drink should be even more alarming to the black community, where there is a higher rate of high blood pressure. People with high blood pressure aren’t advised to consume caffeine at all, and certainly not at the extreme levels in ‘Monster’ drinks.

As more and more teens are being diagnosed with blood pressure problems, it is essential that blacks remain vigilant in keeping these potentially dangerous beverages out of the hands of our young people.