Two ACSH staffers have published pieces today. In Medical Progress Today, ACSH s Dr. Josh Bloom calls out the makers of energy drinks for peddling potentially risky products with little labeling or oversight a dangerous state of affairs made possible by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, which freed supplements from Food and Drug Administration labeling requirements.
How much caffeine is actually in two cans of Monster Energy Drink? Bloom writes. No one really knows. This is because these drinks are considered to be supplements and are therefore exempt from FDA labeling requirements. Perhaps I'm being picky, but I'm pretty sure that a drink that has enough caffeine such that two cans of it can possibly kill you really ought to have a label letting you know exactly how much caffeine you're getting. Cosmetics labels list dozens of harmless chemicals, yet Red Bull doesn't have to reveal anything? Welcome to Bizzaro World.
Also, ACSH s Dr. Gilbert Ross has a story on Examiner.com on the reasons heart attacks are more often fatal for women, a topic also covered in a recent Dispatch.