How Prime can have TWICE as much caffeine as a cup of coffee

By Liam On May 11, 2023

It’s the cult drink that kids everywhere have become obsessed with.

But Prime energy drinks, the brand of YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul, can contain up to 140 mg of caffeine.

This makes the £1.99 drink almost twice as potent as rival Red Bull, and even more caffeine than a double espresso.

Experts say the drink’s high caffeine content can lead to rapid heartbeat, disrupted sleep and anxiety.

It comes after a child had a ‘heart attack’ and had to have their stomach pumped after drinking Prime Energy, prompting a school this week to issue a warning to parents about the drink’s ‘harmful effects’.

A can of Monster energy drink contains 160 mg of caffeine and a can of Rockstar contains 200 mg — twice as much as a cup of instant coffee

The Prime energy drink comes in different flavors, contains 140 mg of caffeine and is sugar free

Prime was launched last year by YouTube icons KSI and Logan Paul. The couple has millions of followers online.

The hype surrounding the products on social media caused them to quickly sell out in supermarkets, leading to huge queues and rules about how much each shopper could buy.

The demand has sparked scuffles in the aisles, bottles selling for as much as £100 and sparking robberies and near-riots in shops.

Two versions are available: Prime Hydration is caffeine-free, sold in a bottle, and comes in Orange, Grape, and Ice Pop flavors.

Prime Energy is sold in a can, with flavors like Orange Mango and Strawberry Watermelon. It’s high in caffeine and hit the shelves in late April.

THE PROS AND CONS OF DRINKING ENERGY DRINKS

PRO: Energy drinks such as Red Bull fall well within the national guidelines of 400 milligrams of caffeine per day. They contain 80 milligrams per 250 ml can.

PRO: Coffee can contain much more caffeine. For example, a venti americano at Starbucks contains 300 mg of caffeine.

CON: It contains a lot of sugar – and therefore calories. And caffeine, a stimulant, can cause anxiety, dehydration, nausea, and a dangerously high heart rate.

CON: According to SAMHSA, the number of people hospitalized because of energy drinks doubled in the US between 2007 and 2014.

However, the company does say the drinks are not recommended for those under 16 and UK supermarkets have imposed their own rules to prevent its cohort from buying energy drinks.

Dr. Deborah Lee, from Dr Fox Online Pharmacy, previously said: ‘I would not recommend that children drink Prime energy drinks or any other energy drinks for children of any age.

‘Children don’t need energy drinks anyway, they have enough energy. If your child is low on energy, see a doctor – don’t give them an energy drink.’

Dr. Duane Mellor, a dietitian at Aston University, told MailOnline: ‘The problem is in children, especially smaller children, the large amounts of caffeine in energy drinks for their body size is much greater than for an adult.’

But it’s not just Prime Energy that contains dangerous amounts of caffeine for kids.

A can of Monster energy drink contains 160 mg and a can of Rockstar contains 200 mg — twice as much as a cup of instant coffee.

This new infographic from Peronalise.co.uk looks at what happens to your body after drinking an energy drink

NHS guidelines say about 400mg of caffeine a day is safe for adults, the equivalent of four regular cups.

Pregnant women are advised to consume about half of that, while the recommended limit for teens is around 100mg.

But experts say caffeine isn’t for kids.

‘The reason caffeine is not recommended for children is that in some individuals it can increase speed, make them anxious or agitated and negatively affect sleep, which can lead to behavioral problems,’ said Dr Mellor.

He added: ‘The law is clear that warnings must be placed on all energy drinks containing more than 35 mg/l of caffeine.

“They should also have a warning that they are not suitable for children and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, perhaps these warnings are not clear enough.”

Yet a study last year by Good Morning Britain found that a quarter of children aged eight to 16 drink one or more of the high sugar, caffeinated drinks on a school day.

Doctors also say they can contain up to 21 teaspoons of sugar, making children who drink them more prone to weight gain.

A can of Monster contains 55g of sugar, Red Bull contains 11g per can and Rockstar contains 21g of sugar.

This is a large proportion of a child’s recommended daily sugar, with the NHS advising that children aged between seven and 10 should have no more than 24g of free sugars per day.

ENERGY DRINKS – ARE THEY SAFE?

Britons’ hunger for caffeinated drinks has skyrocketed – at least 600 million liters are drunk every year, 200 million more than a decade ago.

Figures from the British Soft Drinks Association show that the volume of energy drinks consumed in the UK has risen from 463 million liters in 2010 to 679 million liters in 2017, with the UK market now worth £2 billion a year.

About 55 percent of people between the ages of 12 and 24 experience everything from vomiting and chest pain to even bouts of the drinks, despite most consuming less than the recommended one to two drinks per day, a study found. a Canadian study.

Previous research has linked energy drinks, such as Red Bull, to obesity, heart defects and even sudden death due to their high sugar and caffeine content.

Most energy drink consumers are unaware of the products’ key ingredients, health effects, or proper serving sizes, experts say.

How much caffeine do they contain?

A 250ml serving of a typical energy drink – half the standard bottle or can size – contains 80mg of caffeine per liter – twice as much as a regular cola drink, but the same as a 60ml espresso.

Experts have warned that caffeine-packed energy drinks could lead to a record rise in diagnoses of irregular heartbeat, one of Britain’s biggest killers.

Just one energy drink a day can cause arrhythmia, an abnormal heart rhythm that increases the risk of stroke fivefold.

This is believed to be because excessive caffeine consumption dramatically increases the amount of calcium released into heart cells, disrupting its electrical rhythm.

Experts also warn that the addition of large amounts of sugar in energy drinks may be a reason for their potency.

How much sugar do they contain?

Campaigns, such as Action on Sugar, have called for a complete ban on products for under-16s.

Their December 2017 study found that the average sugar content was more than an adult’s full maximum daily recommendation for sugar intake in the UK.

Similarly, 78 percent of the products exceeded the maximum daily sugar intake recommendation for a child aged seven to 10 and 10 years — 24 g or six teaspoons.

Certain manufacturers reformulated Levy prior to the Soft Drinks Industry in April 2018 in the UK.

It would mean that a 250 ml Red Bull energy drink with 27 g sugar (five and a half teaspoons) now costs 6 cents extra.

Prior to the 2017 reformulation, Rockstar’s Punched Energy and Tropical Guava Flavor products contained a whopping 78g, or 20 teaspoons, of sugar per 500ml serving – more than three times the daily recommendation of 25g for women and 38g for men.

Now these drinks contain 24 g of sugar per 500 ml, the equivalent of six teaspoons per 500 ml.