Fatalities Linked to Monster Energy Drinks

Bloomberg News is reporting five recent deaths in young people who drank Monster shortly before their deaths.  The FDA notes that these are voluntary reports and allegations at this time.

The concern is that energy drinks can contain very large amounts of caffeine; far beyond standard cola beverages or coffee drinks. ER doctors treated over 13,000 patients in 2009 between 18 and 25 years old for symptoms involving energy drinks with or without other substances.

Currently, labeling the caffeine content is not required since the drinks are marketed as dietary supplements and not foods or drugs.