The Research & Science Behind the Safety of Energy Drinks
The Research & Science Behind the Safety of Energy Drinks
Clinical and Scientific Evidence
Leading global health authorities including FDA, Health Canada, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and the Swedish Food Agency have recognized that energy drinks are safe for consumption.
In recent years, FDA has extensively studied the safety and consumption of energy drinks. This includes commissioning a consumption study of caffeinated beverages and authorizing the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to conduct a two-day public workshop on caffeine in food and dietary supplements. This study confirmed that overall caffeine intake has not increased since energy drinks entered the U.S. market, and that energy drinks contribute only a small portion of American consumers’ daily caffeine intake.
EFSA has studied energy drinks for more than 15 years and repeatedly confirmed the safety of energy drink ingredients. In 2015, EFSA released its Scientific Opinion on the Safety of Caffeine, concluding that for healthy adults, a single dose of up to 200 mg caffeine from any dietary source is not associated with adverse health effects. Daily caffeine intake of up to 400 mg from any dietary source is also not associated with adverse health effects for this population.
Health Canada conducted a risk assessment on caffeinated energy drinks and concluded that it is safe for the general adult population to consume two servings of energy drinks per day with no health consequences.
FSANZ recommends a maximum 400 mg of caffeine per day for all those over 18 years old.
Norwegian Food Safety Authority found no safety concerns with a single serving of caffeine up to 200 mg and up to 400 mg per day for the general adult population, except pregnant women.
NFA concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support an age restriction on the sale of energy drinks following an almost year-long review of the scientific evidence. NFA’s report, published in December 2018, rejects an age restriction on the sale of energy drinks and notes that it is much more common for children and adolescents in Sweden to consume caffeine through coffee, tea and cola than through energy drinks.
Effects of caffeine
The effects and benefits of caffeine have been well understood for centuries, and can vary from person to person. Factors like body weight, how often, and when one consumes caffeine, are all considerations. When it comes to age, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded based on available evidence that teens do not experience any unique effects from caffeine consumption because caffeine clearance in teens is at least that of adults.
Take a Look at the Science
MAY 2021 – HEALTH CANADA
"Caffeinated energy drinks in the Canadian context: health risk assessment with a focus on cardiovascular effects"
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"...The available evidence supports that moderate consumption (up to 500 mL per day) of a typical CED [caffeinated energy drink] authorized for sale in Canada is safe for the general population of healthy adults and adolescents."
March 2019 – Cardno ChemRisk
"Hourly and daily intake patterns among U.S. caffeinated beverage consumers based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2013–2016)"
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“... We found that the percentage of energy drink consumers remained relatively low in the NHANES 2013–2016 survey cycle at 1.3% of the general population.”
August 2018 – Texas Tech University, West Texas Regional Poison Center, University of Minnesota, and SafetyCall International
"Energy drink exposures reported to Texas poison centers: Analysis of adverse incidents in relation to total sales, 2010–2014"
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"This study demonstrates that moderate and major adverse events reported to Texas poison centers related to the sale of millions of containers of caffeine-containing beverages are, in fact, quite rare. In a 5 year period, we recorded only one major outcome among callers exposed to caffeine-containing energy beverages and that single case was confounded by concomitant consumption of a purgative (cascara).”
January 2018 – Intertek Scientific & Regulatory Consultancy
"Temporal patterns of caffeine intake in the United States"
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“The daily caffeine intake was relatively stable from day-to-day, with no notable difference between weekdays and weekends… Caffeine consumption patterns from other caffeinated beverage consumers, namely tea, CSDs and energy drinks, were more evenly distributed throughout the day relative to concentrated consumption patterns observed in the morning for coffee consumers.”
november 2017 – toxstrategies
"Systematic review of the potential adverse effects of caffeine consumption in healthy adults, pregnant women, adolescents, and children"
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“When the total body of evidence was evaluated and when study quality, consistency, level of adversity, and magnitude of response were considered, the evidence generally supports that consumption of up to 400 mg caffeine/day in healthy adults is not associated with overt, adverse cardiovascular effects, behavioral effects, reproductive and developmental effects, acute effects, or bone status.”
october 2017 – ramboll environ us corporation
"Caffeine and cardiovascular health"
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“The existing literature suggests moderate (400–600 mg/d) caffeine intake is not associated with increased risks of total cardiovascular disease; arrhythmia; heart failure; blood pressure changes among regular caffeine consumers; and hypertension in baseline healthy populations.”
august 2016 – exponent, inc.
"Trends and patterns of caffeine consumption among US teenagers and young adults, NHANES 2003–2012"
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“Overall, this study demonstrates that mean caffeine consumption among teenagers and young adults (1) is within what are considered moderate and safe levels established by health authorities, (2) despite the introduction of new sources of caffeine to the marketplace there are persistently small numbers of energy drink consumers – with the majority of dietary caffeine for the general population coming from coffee, tea and soft drinks – and (3) consumers of caffeine appear to be able to self-moderate caffeine intake via substitution of various caffeinated beverages.”
january 2016 – washington state university
"Pharmacokinetic analysis and comparison of caffeine administered rapidly or slowly in coffee chilled or hot versus chilled energy drink in healthy young adults"
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“Results from this study suggest that contrary to concerns about potential rapid absorption of caffeine from rapidly consumed cold energy drinks, caffeine absorption and exposure from instant coffee and sugar-free energy drink are similar irrespective of drink temperature or rapid versus slow administration times.”
june 2015 – The Pennsylvania State University, Kantar Worldpanel, Emory University
"Assessing dietary exposure to caffeine from beverages in the U.S. population using brand-specific versus category-specific caffeine values"
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“Recent reports have shown that despite the introduction and subsequent growth of these products [energy drinks and energy shots], less than 5% of the population consumes energy drinks and/or energy shots.”
2015 – European Food Safety Authority
"Scientific opinion on the safety of caffeine"
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“Habitual caffeine consumption up to 400 mg per day does not give rise to safety concerns for non-pregnant adults... The hazard assessment concluded that the general adult population could consume two servings of a typical energy drink per day with no health consequences.”
January 2014 – The Pennsylvania State University, Knight International, Kantar Worldpanel, Emory University
"Beverage caffeine intakes in the U.S."
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“Scientific and historical evidence shows that among the healthy adult population, moderate caffeine consumption (e.g. 400 mg/day) is not associated with adverse health effects… Caffeine intakes from energy drinks represent less than 2% of total daily mean caffeine values for all caffeinated beverage consumers”
December 2012 – Laszlo Somogyi prepared for the Food and Drug Administration
"Caffeine Intake by the U.S. Population"
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“Any significant change in the caffeine intake of the U.S. population would depend on modification of coffee drinking practices, given that all other caffeine sources make only a minor contribution to overall caffeine consumption… However, energy drink consumption is limited to a small segment of the population but only very limited reliable information is available of the number and age distribution of regular energy drink consumers.”
November 2010 – Health Canada
"Effects of caffeine on human health"
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“Based on the data reviewed, it is concluded that for the healthy adult population, moderate daily caffeine intake at a dose level up to 400 mg day-1 (equivalent to 6 mg kg-1 body weight day-1 in a 65-kg person) is not associated with adverse effects such as general toxicity, cardiovascular effects, effects on bone status and calcium balance (with consumption of adequate calcium), changes in adult behaviour, increased incidence of cancer and effects on male fertility.”
january 2009 – European Food Safety Authority
"Scientific opinion on the use of taurine and D-glucurono-γ-lactone as constituents of the so-called “energy” drinks"
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“Overall, the Panel concludes that the exposure to taurine and D-glucurono-γ-lactone at the levels currently used in “energy” drinks and mentioned in the present opinion is not of safety concern.”
To learn more about the science and research around caffeine, visit the International Food Information Council’s Go-To Resource for Everything Caffeine.
