Democratic senators demand meeting with FDA on risks of energy drinks

Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) requested a meeting with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to discuss their concerns about energy drinks.

The request for a meeting with FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg came after the FDA received reports of 18 adverse events and deaths following the consumption of 5-Hour Energy and Monster energy drinks.

“Over the past year, there has been alarming evidence that energy drinks pose a potential threat to the public’s health,” the senators wrote in a letter to the FDA Thursday. “We request a meeting with you on the steps FDA is taking regarding highly caffeinated energy drinks and to ensure they are safe for their intended use and in combination with other energy drink ingredients.”

In the past, Durbin and Blumenthal have asked the FDA what Congress can do to prevent such deaths and health injuries. 

They’ve also called on the FDA to investigate the interactions between caffeine and stimulants in energy drinks and to assess the health risks associated with caffeine consumption by children and adolescents and asked to then be able to discuss the FDA’s finding during the meeting.

“Further, we request a meeting with you on the steps FDA is taking regarding highly caffeinated energy drinks and to ensure they are safe for their intended use and in combination with other energy drink ingredients,” the letter stated.

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