AeroShot: To Be Reviewed

Invented by Harvard biomedical engineering professor David Edwards, AeroShot is already increasing in popularity among young people. AeroShot went on the market late last month in Massachusetts and New York, and it's also available in France. Consumers put one end of the canister in their mouths and breathe in, releasing a fine powder that dissolves almost instantly.

AeroShot, otherwise known as the caffeine inhaler, is a small lipstick-sized canister that allows one to pump caffeine into the body through the mouth. Each grey-and-yellow plastic canister contains B vitamins, plus 100 milligrams of caffeine powder, about the equivalent of the caffeine in a large cup of coffee.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to investigate whether or not inhalable caffeine is safe for consumers and if it is right to sell it as a dietary supplement. Because it was sold as a dietary supplement before it hit the U.S. market, AeroShot did not require an FDA review. However, New York Senator Charles Schumer met with FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg to discuss its safety and legality. She agreed to conduct a review of the product.

In the Associated Press article “FDA To Review Inhalable Caffeine,” Schumer said "I am worried about how a product like this impacts kids and teens, who are particularly vulnerable to overusing a product that allows one to take hit after hit after hit, in rapid succession.”

Tom Hadfield, chief executive of Breathable Foods, which manufactures AeroShot in France, said in a statement that the company will cooperate fully with the FDA’s review to address the issues raised by Schumer. He expressed confident that the review will conclude AeroShot to be a safe, effective product that complies fully with FDA regulations. Manufacturers include on the label that AeroShot is not recommended for those under 18 and is not marketed to children and warns that it is not to be used more than 3 times a day.

An FDA official who was at the meeting told The Associated Press that the review will include a study of the law to determine whether AeroShot qualifies as a dietary supplement. The product will also be tested to figure out whether it's safe for consumption.

Unhealthy Ingredients and Consequences

Energy drinks have become a modern day phenomenon, with tens of millions now being consumed daily. What's not to like about having more energy and alertness, particularly if it comes from beverages which often advertise herbal and other "natural" ingredients? It turns out that consumers are being deceived by these claims. Many energy drinks contain unhealthy ingredients, the first and foremost being an atrocious amount of caffeine and sugar. These drinks claim to provide energy and alertness, promoting wellness. On the contrary, regular consumption of these beverages can bring about potentially dangerous health consequences.

Some of the more common unwelcome side effects of energy drinks include elevated heart rates, hypertension, anxiety, headaches and interrupted sleep patterns. Earlier this year, a report in the medical journal Pediatrics warned against energy drinks and cited potential harms including heart palpitations, seizures, strokes and even sudden death.

Late last year, poison control centers started tracking energy drink overdoses and side effects nationwide. 677 cases occurred from October through December. The chart's list of reported energy drink-related symptoms included seizures, hallucinations, rapid heart rate, chest pain, high blood pressure and irritability.

The two most common ingredients found in energy drinks are sugar and caffeine; both of which provide temporary stimulation but can result in actual long term energy loss due to stressing the adrenal glands and causing adrenal fatigue.

Just one of a huge number of health risks caused by processed sugar is the risk of diabetes, a disease which has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. Very large amounts of sugar can ultimately overwhelm the pancreas, the organ which generates insulin to offset sugar intake. If the pancreas becomes "worn out" by being overworked from too much sugar, diabetes can begin.

Some energy drinks contain up to 7 times as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. While small amounts of caffeine are not generally considered dangerous, too much can over stimulate the central nervous system and can dangerously elevate blood pressure and heart rate. Caffeine is also addictive and withdrawal symptoms include headaches and irritability. Caffeine also causes a loss in valuable B vitamins which are needed for "normal" energy creation. Those who consume energy drinks on a daily basis are training their bodies to not produce natural energy, leaving them dependent on synthetic energy.

When sugar is not used, dangerous artificial sweeteners are employed. Perhaps the most dangerous is sucralose. Sucralose is a chlorinated organic compound, a chemical group which includes several compounds known to be harmful to animals and plants and which has been linked to birth defects and other prenatal conditions. The body does not recognize artificial sweeteners like sucralose as food, but instead essentially processes them as toxins.

Other potentially dangerous ingredients commonly found in energy drinks include:

*Sodium benzoate. Last year a study conducted by an expert in molecular biology and biotechnology linked the common energy drink preservative sodium benzoate to cell damage and an increase in the production of free radicals. Even more concerning, sodium benzoate in combination with vitamin C causes the potent carcinogen benzene.

*Phenylalanine. Though an essential amino acid, phenylalanine is also a neurotoxin and is one of the three main ingredients which make up aspartame. Too much can excite the neurons in the brain to the point of cellular death.

*Guarana. Guarana (or guaranine) comes from the seeds of the guarana plant, which contain up to 3 to 4 times the caffeine as coffee beans.

*Ephedra. Ephedra has been described as a drug that increases heart rate and blood pressure at low doses and causes strokes, seizures, and possibly even death at high doses.

There are far safer options for achieving greater energy than energy drinks, such as super foods powders for example. The very best long term option is an active lifestyle combined with adequate sleep, avoidance of energy robbing toxins and stress and a healthy nutrient-dense diet.

A Non-Addictive Caffeine Fix?

Is the caffeine in coffee really “natural?” Maik A Jochmann, Ph.D. and his collegues ask this very same question.



Coffee, tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, and other high-caffeine drinks are the most popular beverages in the world. The FDA requires that caffeine be listed on package labels, but it does not require for companies to indicate whether the caffeine is from natural or synthetic sources.



In Jochmann’s study, he and his colleagues describe the use of a technique called stable-isotope analysis to discern between natural and synthetic caffeine. The test uses the differences between types of carbon isotopes and slight variations of the same element found in caffeine made by plants and caffeine made in labs with petroleum-derived molecular building blocks. Their analysis indicated that many caffeine drink companies use synthetic caffeine, even while the label claims the drink to be 100% natural.

The caffeine naturally contained in a few herbs such as Yerba Mate, Guarana, Kola Nut, and Green Tea to name a few, is naturally occurring caffeine, also known as "bio-caffeine" and is non-addictive.

The caffeine doing the major damage today is the caffeine produced by the pharmaceutical industry, the caffeine actually found in many drugs. This caffeine is synthetic and thus harmful. It can cause addiction. But "bio-caffeine" cannot and will not cause addiction. This is why people who drink herbal teas enjoy the beverage, but they are not addicted.

Consider how much synthetic caffeine is found in our drinks:

Brewed Coffee (8 ounces), 60-120 mg caffeine

Double Expresso (2 ounces), 45-100 mg caffeine

Instant Coffee (8 ounces), 70 mg caffeine

Black Tea (8 ounces) 45 mg caffeine

Pepsi Cola (12 ounce can), 38 mg caffeine

Coca Cola (12 ounce can), 34 mg caffeine

Hershey's Special Dark chocolate bar (1.45 ounces), 31 mg caffeine

Herbs containing bio-caffeine contain 20 mg or less of caffeine. Even then, this caffeine found in plants is active (alive) meaning it won't hurt you or cause you to become addicted it.

Sports and Energy Drinks

High energy drinks, popularized by Pepsi and Coke, have become the beverage of choice for our generation. But as more and more studies come out about these high energy drinks (which means very high caffeine), we are discovering that too much of a good thing is bad for young athletes.

Beginning in 1965, Gatorade was created after an assistant football coach for the Florida Gators talked to doctors about their players suffering from heat and dehydration. They discovered that, as players would sweat and lose fluids, carbohydrates and electrolytes were not being replenished in the body. Gatorade was created to remedy this problem.

New Gatorade products and flavors have been developed for sports health professionals around the world, and are now the “official” sports drinks for the NBA, AVP, PGA, MLB, MLS, etc. Gatorade has now progressed into the high energy market with the Gatorade Performance Series—Gatorade Energy Drink, Gatorade Energy Bar, and the Gatorade Nutrition Shake.

Not to be outdone, Coke jumped into the market with Powerade in 1992. Now, you can imagine the marketing schemes of these two huge companies competing to impress young teens and adults. More specialty drinks have hit the market over the years, packing more caffeine than ever before.

With drinks like Hype, Energy, Reload, Guru, Wired, Red Bull, Kick, Blue Bolt, Monster, etc., our young athletes are being bombarded by drinks loaded with caffeine. The more caffeine and the bigger the bottle, the better! We have pre-game fuel (Gatorade Prime) and post-game fuel (Gatorade Recover), and according to Gatorade’s chief marketing officer, the “Athletes are just begging us to do more for them.”

Although Gatorade remains dominant, Powerade sales have nearly tripled over the last 8 or 9 years. Like anything, when taken in moderation, these beverages can have some “positive” effects. Taken in excess, these energy drinks can have very serious negative effects. Many times, energy drinks contain 17 times the caffeine than a cup of coffee and 14 times that of a can of soda.

Red Bull, which has an excessive amount of caffeine, was banned in France after the death of an 18 year old athlete, who drank 4 cans of the drink prior to playing a basketball game. In the United States, energy drinks have been linked to nausea, abnormal heart rhythms, tremors, dizziness, seizures, and emergency room visits.

Energy drink companies are targeting young people, who are easily susceptible to ad campaigns promising to make them stronger and more alert. Many young people just drink them because it’s cool. It’s the new “fad.” Young athletes, especially, are suffering because high caffeine intake coupled with increased physical activity causes the heart to work itself to death.

Caffeinated: A Documentary

I found this short documentary, made by a student at NYU. It contains a firsthand account of the effects of caffeine, as well as scientist interviews on how the drug works and what it does. I found it to be very interesting. Hope you will too!

Energy Drinks and Young People

Red Bull, Monster, AMP and Rockstar. These are among the best sellers in the energy drink industry that is estimated to take in $9 billion in 2011. Are they also potential dangers to your children?

A study released last week by researchers in Miami indicates that children who consume energy drinks as part of their regular diet could be at risk.

The study, headed by Dr. Steven Lipshultz, Dean of Child Safety at Miller’s School of Medicine at the University of Miami, concluded there is no "therapeutic value" in the consumption of energy drinks. While the popular drinks advertise benefits ranging from re-energizing athletes to increasing stamina, Lipshultz suggests that it is quite possible the drinks actually have the opposite effect.

Even worse, Lipshultz said the sugar, caffeine and other ingredients in the drinks aren't regulated by the Food and Drug Administration—which classifies them as dietary supplements—and may be extremely dangerous for kids with ADHD, heart conditions and diabetes.

"I was totally shocked by what I found," said Lipshultz. "We just don't have a lot of information."

“Until last year, the U.S. Poison Control Center did not specifically track caffeine-related overdoses related to energy drinks,” Lipshultz said. “But there are still enough unexplained injuries and deaths to spark significant concern.”

In May 2008, 16-year-old honor student Ashley Ramnauth of Wellington, FL. died after combining energy drinks and alcohol. An autopsy never determined the exact cause of death, but Ramnauth's parents have said that they are certain energy drinks are to blame.

In 2003, Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Belcher died during spring training. His death was connected to ephedra, a substance that was part of energy drinks at the time. All uses of ephedra have since been banned.

Several countries have ordered complete or partial bans of energy drinks or required warning labels on cans after several deaths that appeared to be related to energy drinks in the past few years. Denmark , Turkey and Uruguay have banned all energy drinks, Germany has banned 11 of 16 brands and Australia has banned 5 energy drink makers.

"Other countries are studying energy drinks and many are banning or heavily regulating the products," Lipshultz said. "At some point, you have to wonder why that is happening."

The American Beverage Association quickly shot down the report last week. "This literature review does nothing more than perpetuate misinformation about energy drinks, their ingredients and the regulatory process," the lobbying group said in a statement on its website. And energy drinker maker Red Bull said in a statement that the study did not take into account the "scientifically rigorous examination of energy drinks by reputable national authorities."

The ABA also argued that teens "aren't large consumers of energy drinks" and that the average energy drink can contains no more caffeine than a cup of coffee.

Lipshultz said the data, based on a review of 121 different studies and government reports, is at odds with the beverage group. According to surveys filled out by users, energy drinks are consumed by 30% to 50% of adolescents and young adults, according to the study. Because all the ingredients are regulated, it's impossible to know how much caffeine is added to energy drinks with guarana, for example. That's a South American plant that contains a high amount of caffeine.

"I've seen kids who come in and have had an energy drink in the morning and they will tell me they feel like their hearts are beating out of their chests," said Sandi Delack, who is a nurse at Ferri Middle School in Johnston, R.I.

Delack and Lipshultz offered this advice for parents when it comes to energy drinks:

• "Read the study," said Lipshultz, who said he was proud that Pediatrics magazine has provided free access to the study on its website.
• Have an open and honest conversation with your kids. Does your child, or his or her friends regularly drink energy drinks? Why do they do it, and how does it make them feel?

"This isn't about judging," said Lipshultz. The conversation is a perfect opportunity for teens to learn the importance of monitoring what goes into their bodies. Doctors, teachers, school coaches and others should read the study as well, he said.

"I think it's important that parents just know what their kids are ingesting, and if they are using these drinks, that they are using it correctly," said Delack, referring to concerns highlighted in the study about the combination of energy drinks with stimulants, certain medications or medical conditions.

Lipshultz said while the study wasn't motivated by a desire to conclude that kids should or should not use energy drinks, he believes the evidence points to an inescapable conclusion for now.

"We don't have the evidence," he said. "Why as a parent would I want to have my child take this unregulated drink until there is sufficient information available? In the absence of evidence, children should be discouraged from taking this."

Is Caffeine Dangerous?

Here is a short video I found about the long-term effects of caffeine addiction. Enjoy!

Aeroshot, Caffeine Inhaler

            David Edwards, a Harvard professor of biomedical engineering has unveiled his newest invention, a valuable innovation in this caffeine-driven world. Aeroshot. This device looks very much like a tube of lip balm—small, sleek, and plastic. It is a caffeine inhaler. Apparently, we can’t consume caffeine fast enough in the form of coffee and energy beverages. We need it in our bodies NOW. Aeroshot does not even attempt to disguise its purpose: to pump caffeine into our systems and provide a short burst of synthetic energy.

            The AeroShot contains a puff of lime-flavored caffeine powder, dispensing about 40 mg of the drug in your mouth with each use, like an asthma inhaler. The Aeroshot has already been released as a startup product in the Boston area. Although the purpose of Aeroshot is to boost energy on college campuses and in the workplace, many officials are expressing concerns. In December, Sen. Charles E. Schumer worried that the drug would be used as a “party-enhancer.” He questioned its safety and whether or not the inhaler should be made available to children.

            Patrick Hruby, a writer for The Washington Times, pointed out in his article “America’s Caffeine Addiction Races Full Speed Ahead” that regardless of what the drug is intended for, people will use it as they please. “When it comes to the nation’s predilection for energy-boosting enhancement—at parties, at the office or anywhere in between, for young and old alike — the horse has long since left the barn, if only to lap up a double espresso at the neighboring Starbucks.”

Caffeine Buzzed

            What does America run on these days? Hard work? A good night’s rest? A healthy diet? No…according to Dunkin’ Donuts coffee chain, “America runs on Dunkin’.” It seems a bit absurd, doesn’t it, the idea that America relies solely on coffee to function? Just a silly jingle, right? Wrong.

In fact, this statement is closer to the truth than we think. Coffee is the world’s second most valuable commodity. “There are two dark, black liquids that run this country,” said Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University. “Oil and coffee. Walk down the street in any major city at lunch hour. You just see coffee and cell phones.” According to historian David T. Courtwright, American per capita coffee consumption rose from three pounds per year in 1830 to eight pounds per year by 1859. Today, the National Coffee Association reports that the number of 18- to 39-year-olds who drink coffee daily jumped almost 10 percent year-over-year in 2011.

Oh, but America does not run on coffee alone. We now have hundreds of energy drinks to choose from, all offering the same caffeine buzz. Consider this. If someone proposed that we place an espresso bar in schools for students to use, everyone would think that person was insane. However, no one thinks twice about the Rockstars and the Monsters and the 5-Hour Energy drinks that even our youngest schoolchildren are consuming on a daily basis. The average American consumes about 300 mg of caffeine a day. Let’s face it. Caffeine is the miracle drug of our generation.

Companies have decided to take the caffeine buzz a step further. We now not only have coffee and energy drinks. We have caffeinated gum, caffeinated lip balm, caffeinated sunflower seeds, even caffeinated soap. According to a recent article in The Washington Post, “We don’t just drink vodka. We drink vodka mixed with the up-all-night energy drink Red Bull—because even our downers need uppers.”

I smell an addiction. What would happen to America if we took away all the caffeine? Would life be slower, sluggish even? How would people wake up in the morning? How would we keep going? What are the long-term effects of this caffeine craze?