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FDA to investigate added caffeine in foods

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:06:00 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trail mix. Potato chips. And now gum.

With a growing number of foods boasting added caffeine for an energy boost, the Food and Drug Administration says it's time to investigate their safety.

The FDA's new look at added caffeine and its effects on children and adolescents is in response to a caffeinated gum introduced this week by Wrigley. Called Alert Energy Gum, it promises "The right energy, right now." The agency is already investigating the safety of energy drinks and energy shots, prompted by consumer reports of illness and death.

Michael Taylor, FDA's deputy commissioner of foods, said Monday that the only time FDA explicitly approved the added use of caffeine in a food or drink was in the 1950s for colas. The current proliferation of caffeine added to foods is "beyond anything FDA envisioned," Taylor said.

"It is disturbing," Taylor said in an interview with The Associated Press. "We're concerned about whether they have been adequately evaluated."

Taylor said the agency will look at the potential impact these "new and easy sources" of caffeine will have on children's health and will take action if necessary. He said that he and other FDA officials have held meetings with some of the large food companies that have ventured into caffeinated products, including Mars Inc., of which Wrigley is a subsidiary.

Playing music may lower your blood pressure

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Want to lower your blood pressure? Pick up a musical instrument.

That’s the implication of a pilot study from the Netherlands, which suggests playing music is beneficial to one’s cardiovascular system.

“Our study suggests that active music making has some training effects that resemble those of physical exercise training,” researchers from the Leiden University Medical Center’s Department of Cardiology reports in theNetherlands Heart Journal.

The researchers, including Cees Swenne, measured the cardiovascular health of 25 musicians and 28 non-musicians, all healthy young adults between the age of 18 and 30. The groups were well-matched in terms of height and weight, as well as caffeine and alcohol consumption, and the amount of physical exercise they engaged in.

5-Hour Energy cited in reports of 13 deaths

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:10:00 +0000

According to FDA records reviewed by the New York Times, 5-Hour Energy, the highly caffeinated shot "marketed to hardworking adults," has been cited in reports of 13 deaths over the last four years. The Times also learned that since 2009, "5-Hour Energy has been mentioned in some 90 filings with the F.D.A., including more than 30 that involved serious or life-threatening injuries like heart attacks, convulsions and, in one case, a spontaneous abortion." (The Times notes, however, that the incident reports do not "mean that a product was responsible for a death or an injury or contributed in any way to it.")

The distributor of the beverage, Living Essentials, said in a statement that it was “unaware of any deaths proven to be caused by the consumption of 5-Hour Energy.”

The energy drink industry at large is facing "increasing scrutiny over issues like labeling disclosures and possible health risks" as the FDA has also received fatality reports citing another energy drink, Monster Energy. Both drinks are marketed as dietary supplements, which do not have the same reporting or ingredient requirements as beverages.