A new report says there is a possible link between those energy shots you see at store counters and more than a dozen deaths.
The New York times reports records from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration show a possible link between Five-Hour Energy shots and at least 13 deaths since 2008.
All of the fatality reports were made to the FDA by the distributor of Five-Hour Energy, Living Essentials LLC.
The highly-caffeinated energy shots are also reportedly connected to about 30 life-threatening incidents that include heart attacks and convulsions. More than 90 filings with the FDA mentioned Five-Hour Energy.
The filings don’t necessarily mean the product was directly responsible for the problems, only that it was included in information gathered in the filings.
The distributor of Five-Hour Energy issued a response to the filings that said, in part, “Living Essentials LLC, distributor of 5-hour ENERGY, takes reports of any potential adverse event tied to our products very seriously.”
The statement goes on to say the company is unaware of any deaths proven to have been caused by its product.
“It is important to note that submitting a serious adverse event report to the FDA, according to the agency itself, is not construed by FDA as an admission that the dietary supplement was involved, caused or contributed to the adverse event being reported, or that any person included in the report caused or contributed to the event.”
The report comes a month after the FDA issued a report that Monster energy drinks were also linked to five deaths.
The FDA stated it does not have enough scientific evidence to warrant changing how it regulates caffeine or other ingredients in energy drinks and energy shots.