Thank you very much.
I will summarize because of the time restrictions. Thank you for inviting me.
I am concerned about the so-called energy drinks being sold in Canada. I will focus mainly on what happened in Prince Edward Island in 2008, including the negative reaction and our attempts to address the issue, and I will make some overall comments.
On May 3, 2008, the P.E.I. government lifted the ban on the sale of canned soft drinks in the province and suddenly the energy drinks appeared across the province. Almost immediately, teachers in schools noted students becoming hyperactive, agitated, and unable to concentrate.
The beverage industry initiated a campaign by providing refrigerators to stores and pharmacy owners in return for their stocking them with energy drinks. A local wrestling match featured a lethargic wrestler who consumed a can of energy drink, was suddenly revitalized, and vigorously overcame his opponent.
A review was conducted by the public health division of the Department of Health and we found some disturbing items. The classification as “natural health products” seemed inappropriate. Their concentration of caffeine is enormous compared to the cola drinks, leading to possibly toxic amounts that would not be expected in a natural food.
They were sold as energy drinks. Is the sugar content or caffeine in these drinks safe? Could they be mistaken for hydration liquids? Will the sugar content lead to further problems in Canada with obesity and being overweight? Caffeine leads to dependency or is addictive. Does the industry now substitute the nicotine of the tobacco industry with the caffeine in these drinks?
Mixing alcohol and energy drinks is a concern. Alcohol is a depressant and causes drowsiness, while caffeine is a stimulant and keeps people awake. The result is obvious: people can stay awake to consume more alcohol up to the time when they can have injury or toxic effects.
As I said, school performance is decreased with these energy drinks. Also, sudden unexplained death is a major concern, because caffeine can cause heart irregularities both in normal hearts and in abnormal hearts. Upon autopsy, there are no specific findings as to whether the heart rate has been the cause of death. It is very difficult to measure caffeine levels after death and to come to any definite conclusions. The peak levels can occur 30 minutes after ingestion of caffeine, but as for when the heart rate becomes abnormal, that is something we don't know.
We have a major concern about these fatalities. We are trying to establish a system to get some reliable means of correlating them. In our province, we have to send out tests for levels of caffeine. In P.E.I. the school boards have prohibited the sale of energy drinks in the school and prohibited their being brought onto the property. The medical society has called for a ban on these energy drinks for children and youth. The coroner is asking about energy drink consumption in any unexplained death of a child or young adult, and we are trying to get caffeine levels done after unexplained deaths.
Our recommendations to Health Canada follow.
The monitoring of energy drinks and their classification as a natural health product have provided virtually no assessment of the safety of these beverages, particularly in the high concentrations that are being consumed. The small labelling wording is not of any help in keeping energy drinks out of the hands of children.
With regard to the Public Health Agency of Canada and medical health officers of Canada, we would recommend that there be wider health involvement and input into the regulations for energy drinks, that the dieticians and the nutritionists of Canada be involved, and that the Public Health Agency of Canada coordinate an effort to facilitate communications to the relevant divisions of Health Canada.
Coroners across the country need to be aware of the possibility of sudden death and ask about the consumption of these energy drinks, and there needs to be a national monitoring program.