HOUSTON – While excessive heat threatens public health, experts are increasingly more concerned about a drink that may affect kids.
The drink is called PRIME.
It’s an energy drink that’s extremely popular among young people. Although, the can warns against people under 18 years old drinking the beverage.
Some people are confusing the brand’s sports drinks and energy drinks.
One doctor says both could be harmful.
Cardiologist at LBJ Hospital, Dr. John Higgins, has conducted studies on energy drinks and the chemicals inside.
“Caffeine by itself is generally not considered dangerous for adults. But when you mix it with these other stimulants, especially in high levels, we believe that those are what the body is not used to and is upsetting the body’s systems,” Dr. Higgins said.
The biggest offender, according to Higgins, is PRIME energy drinks. This brand has been made popular by YouTube celebrity Logan Paul.
“The thing that bothers me most about PRIME is the very, very high caffeine level in a small can,” Dr. Higgins said.
Hot temperatures and energy drinks, don’t mix
Higgins worries about the students returning to school sports and outdoor activities who may be simultaneously drinking these beverages.
“Your heart rate and blood pressure will go up worse and you will get dehydrated quicker and run into heat issues earlier than if you would rather go with water or sports drink,” Dr. Higgins said. “The other effects of energy drinks that we know about, one of them is making your blood thicker and clotting easier. You could actually run into some serious sort of problem with potentially even something as bad as a heart attack, stroke or another blood vessel occlusion from the combination of all of those components.”
Confusing sports and energy drinks
If you buy the hydration PRIME (their version of a sports drink) Dr. Higgins said it still contains similar ingredients as the energy drink. Although, most other sports drinks he said are very, very different.
Calling for investigations
Senator Chuck Schumer called on the Food and Drug Administration to investigate PRIME.
Dr. Higgins said they do need more studies before they can claim to be safe for young people.
“We don’t have the evidence right now that these, in fact, do give you more energy. They may make you feel like you have more energy but right now it doesn’t appear that they actually, truly are... true energy, adding drinks,” Higgins explained.
American Beverage Association
According to the ABA (who does not represent PRIME), guidelines discourage marketing energy drinks to children under 12.
They do claim “most energy drinks contain significantly less caffeine than a similarly-sized coffeehouse coffee.”
Dr. Higgins said it might not be the caffeine alone that’s dangerous, it’s the combination of caffeine and stimulants inside the drink.
Celsius energy drinks
This energy drink claims to be a healthy version of energy drinks.
“I actually found out about this in a gym!” according to Dr. Arrionna Dryden, a resident at LBJ Hospital.
However, Dr. Higgins said the ingredients are still similar to most energy drinks and claims the marketing of these drinks is leading to “consumer confusion.”
“I had a case of someone that came into the emergency room, a young person who’d had a couple of energy drinks, and their coronary arteries, which supply the heart with blood, were packed full of blood clots,” Higgins said.