The war on energy drinks: Too effective, or ineffective?

We suppose that any defense of Red Bull, which is noxious to taste and never should be mixed in to any cocktail for any reason other than to induce suicide, need be based on principle rather aesthetics. However, we here at TSOE are nothing but not principled, so here goes.

News junkies are surely aware that nanny-staters are spinning up a public relations campaign against "energy drinks" in general and Red Bull specifically. The Grey Lady, for example:

But a number of scientists are worried about highly caffeinated beverages like Red Bull, Rockstar, Monster and Full Throttle, which are popular among teenagers and young adults....

The authors noted that “four documented cases of caffeine-associated death have been reported, as well as five separate cases of seizures associated with consumption of energy/power drinks.” Additional reports include an otherwise healthy 28-year-old man who suffered a cardiac arrest after a day of motocross racing; a healthy 18-year-old man who died playing basketball after drinking two cans of Red Bull; and four cases of mania experienced by individuals known to have bipolar disorder.

So, er, these drinks can cause "caffeine-associated death"?

Not so fast!

Here comes the class-action trial bar, self-styled guardians of the public interest, with a lawsuit that claims that Red Bull does not, in fact, "give you wings," and that it is no more effective a stimulant than a cup of coffee.

Red Bull, the popular energy drink whose slogan is "gives you wings," provides no more energy than a cup of coffee or a caffeine pill, according to a lawsuit made public on Wednesday. The lawsuit claims that Red Bull uses deceptive marketing to charge a premium for a product whose claims are largely unfounded. "Defendants are able to charge and get a substantial premium for their products over readily available and much lower priced sources of caffeine that provide the same or substantially similar results," the lawsuit said.

The business destroyers really ought to have some sort of process by which they get their story straight before taking it out on the rest of us. CWCID: Professor Bainbridge.