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In August 2015, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) temporarily suspended Vemma Nutrition, which makes energy drinks for the college crowd, from targeting students with a get-rich-quick pyramid scheme that promised to bring in way more dough than a part-time job as a barista or server. In December 2016, the agency announced a settlement that put a permanent […]

New research suggests that energy drinks are even more dangerous than we originally thought, especially when consumed by younger people. A new study says that kids and teenagers are at a higher risk due to the excessive amounts of sugar and caffeine these beverages contain. Energy Drinks Cause Hypertension and Hyperactivity For a study published recently in the medical […]

There are so many warnings about the risks of energy drinks that it’s getting harder even for people who consume them to look the other way. Reports continue to roll out warning consumers not to believe the marketing campaigns that tout these drinks as healthy and energizing. They are in fact dangerous, and can cause serious […]

The more we learn about energy drinks, the more dangerous they appear. Recent research suggests a link between energy drinks and enlarged hearts (cardiomegaly)—a condition that can result in heart failure or the type of sudden cardiac deaths suffered by Anais Fournier and Cory Terry, among other caffeine casualties. An enlarged heart is one that […]

Cory Terry was a healthy and active 33-year-old construction worker. He had a 13-year-old son, and a grandmother, Patricia, with whom he was very close. He played basketball in his spare time, and regularly drank Red Bull hoping for an extra boost. The dangerous interplay between exercise and energy drinks may have killed him. In […]

We hate to remind you, but final exams are just around the corner. During a misguided but inevitable cram session, it can be tempting to reach for an energy drink (especially if Red Bull has parked a little car outside the school library for a free giveaway). But if you really want to excel, you’re better […]

Over the past several years, the Monster Beverage Corporation (formerly Hansen’s Natural) has grown into a juggernaut, accumulating $2.72 billion in revenue and a market cap of $27.3 billion. Unfortunately, like a lot of powerful entities, Monster is also a merciless bully—one that bankrupts and squeezes out small businesses at every turn. Monster now faces an antitrust lawsuit in California after […]

When we spoke to Dr. Kelly Pritchett about the growing threat of energy drinks, she said the most frightening thing is the lack of education. “When I ask a group of high schoolers what’s in these drinks,” Dr. Pritchett said, “or how much caffeine is in them, they have no idea.” Consider this, then, an […]

Thirteen-year-old Caitlin Fraser fell to the floor during class, the right side of her body paralyzed, her hands turning blue. As she was rushed to the hospital, teachers and family feared a stroke. “The right side of my face dropped and I was wondering what was going on, then two minutes later my full right […]

For decades, Big Tobacco appeared invincible. Cigarette companies placed their products in stars’ hands to cement their popularity. Joe Cool and others lured in the youngsters, amassing a broad base of lifelong smokers. Executives denied and suppressed the terrible risks associated with their products, and business boomed. Sounds a lot like the energy drink industry, […]