Dive Summary:

• A group of 18 doctors and researchers has written a formal letter to the commissioner of the FDA urging him to tighten regulations on the sale of energy drinks to children and teens.
• The group cites many studies that directly link too much caffeine with health problems, while also showing that energy drink manufacturers are targeting younger people with their advertising.
• The group joins a laundry list of other organizations who have been lobbying the FDA to get high;y caffeinated beverages out of the hands of children and teens.

From the article:

“There is evidence in the published scientific literature that the caffeine levels in energy drinks pose serious potential health risks,” the doctors and researchers wrote.In their letter to Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, the F.D.A. commissioner, the group argued that energy drink makers had failed to meet the regulatory burden placed on them to show that the ingredients used in their beverages were safe, specifically where children, adolescents and young adults are concerned. As a result, the group urged the F.D.A. to restrict caffeine content in the products and to require manufacturers to include caffeine content on product labels.