In an opinion essay, Dr. Kent Sepkowitz, professor emeritus at Weill-Cornell Medical College, argues that energy drinks have grown into an $85 billion global market but remain unsafe for teens and pre-teens. He argues that recent sponsorship deals between energy drink brands and college sports are a dangerous new front in marketing to young people.
Sepkowitz highlights Monster Energy's $20 million-a-year agreement with the Big 12 Conference, which includes placing the brand's logo on game jerseys, and Celsius's sponsorship of ESPN's College GameDay. He notes that some universities receiving such money also conduct research suggesting benefits of energy drinks, creating a conflict of interest. He quotes cardiologist John Higgins of UTHealth in Houston, who says an energy-drink logo on a jersey tells a child that the drink is part of sports, performance and success.
The author points out that Norway and Kuwait have banned sales to teens, and the European Food Safety Authority is updating its guidance. But in the U.S., he says, the industry has kept regulation at a distance. He draws parallels to past public health victories against cigarettes and drunk driving, but acknowledges that unlike those cases, there is a lack of hard data on how many deaths energy drinks cause each year. He suggests a parent-led movement, similar to MADD, may be forming.