Stern senior Jason Castro drinks three or four Monster Rehabs every day he has class to get an extra caffeine fix during the day.
“I drink one in the morning, to wake myself up, and one before most of my classes,” Castro said. “It really helps me stay focused and be engaged in most of the classes I’m in.”
Even though Monster may help students stay focused, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is currently investigating five reports of deaths in the last three years that could be linked to the consumption of the energy drink products.
The FDA has not ruled whether it has enough evidence to take any action against Monster. Energy drinks like Monster are sold as nutritional supplements and are not subject to normal FDA caffeine limits for beverages.
A couple in Maryland recently filed a lawsuit against Monster Beverage Corporation after their 14-year-old daughter, Anais Fournier, suffered a fatal heart attack after consuming two 24-ounce cans of Monster within a 24-hour time span. Her parents said the energy drink was responsible for her death and that Monster fails to warn consumers about the risks its drinks pose.
After the lawsuit was filed, the company’s stock fell by 14 percent.
But the company denies any danger in drinking their products.
“Monster does not believe that its beverages are in any way responsible for the death of Ms. Fournier,” said the company spokesman Evan Pondel in a statement to Bloomberg Businessweek last month. “Monster is unaware of any fatality anywhere that has been caused by its drinks.”
Castro agreed and said he will continue to drink Monster products.
“[Fournier] was just misusing it,” Castro said. “It doesn’t really bother me because, well for one I drink Rehab, which is like a lighter version of it, and plus I space mine out properly.”
According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a 24-ounce can of Monster contains 240 milligrams of caffeine. A can of their closest competitor, Red Bull sells its products in much smaller 8.3-ounce cans that contain only 80 milligrams of caffeine. A typical 8-ounce cup of coffee contains 133 milligrams of caffeine.
Sally Guttmacher, professor of Public Health and director of NYU’s Public Health Program, has called for raising more awareness to the dangers of high-caffeine energy drinks. She said they should be treated somewhat similarly to other potentially harmful stimulants such as nicotine.
“At the very least, the potential danger of such drinks should be listed on every container just as they are in cigarettes,” Guttmacher said. “As we know, young people frequently think of themselves as invulnerable, and they need to be reminded to take care if something is a threat to their health.”
She added taht Monster caffeine drinks could be dangerous because of their effects on the nervous system.
“As we know, people respond differently to caffeine, and some people may be dangerously sensitive to its effects,” Guttmacher said. “We know that caffeine can affect the heart rate, which is something to be concerned about no matter what their age.”
And some students have become wary of energy drinks. Gallatin freshman Hannah Cohen said she used to drink No Fear, a drink that has similar effects as Monster, but stopped out of concern for her health.
“I used to always drink it for whenever I felt tired,” Cohen said. “But I soon started feeling my heart going much faster than normal, and after that I didn’t feel safe drinking energy drinks anymore.”
A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Nov. 12 print edition. Andrew Karpan is a staff writer. Email him at [email protected].
