Emergency room visits tied to energy drinks double since 2007
Copyright 2011 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Posted: 01/16/2013
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A new government survey suggests the number of people seeking emergency treatment after consuming energy drinks has doubled nationwide in a recent four-year span.
That's the same period in which the supercharged drink industry has surged in popularity in convenience stores, bars and on college campuses.
The survey of the nation's hospitals was conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. It found that from 2007 to 2011, the number of emergency room visits involving the beverages shot up from about 10,000 to more than 20,000. Most of those cases involved teens or young adults.
The report doesn't specify which symptoms brought people to emergency rooms. But it calls energy drink consumption a "rising public health problem" that can cause insomnia, nervousness, headache, fast heartbeat and seizures.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
PRINT
Healthy Living
-
First hand transplant program for kids
A Boston hospital is starting the world's first hand transplant program for children, and doctors say it won't be long until face transplants and other radical operations to improve appearance and quality of life are offered to kids, too.
-
Affordable Care Act not affordable?
-
Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro for cancer
-
Macaroni and cheese every day as a diet?
-
Is hands-free texting safe for drivers?
-
300K people needed for cancer study
-
Superglue baby: Girl behind the miracle
