09.27.12
B vitamins are the largest segment of the U.S. dietary supplement industry after multivitamins and sports supplements, with sales of $1.46 billion in 2011 (Nutrition Business Journal). Energy shots and drinks are packed with B vitamins but what’s really in energy drinks like 5-hour Energy? Labels don’t say, butConsumerLab.com’s recent Product Review of B Vitamin Supplements and Energy Drinks found that a single, small bottle of 5-hour Energy or Monster Energy M3 Concentrate contained twice the amount of caffeine found in a regular 8 oz cup of coffee. In fact the firmfound that out of 20 “B complexes” and single B vitamin supplements tested, five failed to accurately list amounts of one or more vitamins, containing far less(31% to 87%) and/or far more(182% to 265%) of what was expected.
“Many products don’t disclose how much caffeine they contain, but our tests show that a single small bottle of some of these drinks contains more caffeine than two full cups of coffee, said, Tod Cooperman, M.D., president of ConsumerLab.com.
“B complexes were more likely to fail testing than single B vitamin supplements,” the firm asserted while noting two of the three energy drinks also failed to contain their listed amounts of folic acid, one of the B vitamins.
ConsumerLab.com cautioned consumers to be mindful of potential side effects due to the large amounts of caffeine and vitamins attainable within the suggested daily serving sizes of energy drinks. “Just two bottles of 5-hour Energy or Monster M3 Concentrate puts you over the tolerable daily intake level for niacin, which can cause skin flushing and tingling, on top of the potential jitteriness of several hundred milligrams of caffeine,” said Dr. Cooperman.
Twenty-three of the products reviewed in the report were selected and purchased byConsumerLab.com. Twelve additional products which passedConsumerLab.com’s Voluntary Certification Program are included in the report, as well as information about two products similar to another which passed testing. All products were purchased by ConsumerLab.com and tested in independent laboratories. Failures to meet label claims were confirmed in a second independent laboratory.
“Many products don’t disclose how much caffeine they contain, but our tests show that a single small bottle of some of these drinks contains more caffeine than two full cups of coffee, said, Tod Cooperman, M.D., president of ConsumerLab.com.
“B complexes were more likely to fail testing than single B vitamin supplements,” the firm asserted while noting two of the three energy drinks also failed to contain their listed amounts of folic acid, one of the B vitamins.
ConsumerLab.com cautioned consumers to be mindful of potential side effects due to the large amounts of caffeine and vitamins attainable within the suggested daily serving sizes of energy drinks. “Just two bottles of 5-hour Energy or Monster M3 Concentrate puts you over the tolerable daily intake level for niacin, which can cause skin flushing and tingling, on top of the potential jitteriness of several hundred milligrams of caffeine,” said Dr. Cooperman.
Twenty-three of the products reviewed in the report were selected and purchased byConsumerLab.com. Twelve additional products which passedConsumerLab.com’s Voluntary Certification Program are included in the report, as well as information about two products similar to another which passed testing. All products were purchased by ConsumerLab.com and tested in independent laboratories. Failures to meet label claims were confirmed in a second independent laboratory.