Health Department warns against mixing energy drinks with alcohol
The Department of Health warns against mixing energy drinks with alcohol, says such drinks should be consumed with caution.
Documents from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US safety watchdog, show that since 2009 at least four people were reported to have died soon after drinking Monster.
The Department of Health today warned against the consumption of energy drinks by children, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups and against such drinks being mixed with alcohol.
The warning was issued after the makers of Monster, an energy drink with the caffeine equivalent of sevens cans of Coca-Cola, were being sued by the family of a 14-year-old who died after consuming two cans in two days.
The post-mortem allegedly concluded that she died of cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity.
The US authorities were also investigating four other incidents in which people died soon after having the energy drink.
"Although the product in question is traded in Malta, no adverse events have been reported. It is also confirmed that no alerts have been raised in the European Union," the health department said in a statement.
The Maltese Superintendent of Public Health also warned that all energy drinks have high caffeine content and in view of their nature should be consumed with caution.
