New drink - bad buzzz-FYI

[Guest guest]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/foodwine/2003270325_drink22.html (My

NOTE: I think the average " cup " of coffee contains alot more than 80 mg

caffeine. Also I wonder what the author thinks an ave. cup of coffee - what I

see in tables - 6 oz. - usually around 105 mg or compared to the soda type

energy drink " smallest " drink most people buy is at least 12 oz. This drink

stands out because of the name )

In the competitive market for " energy drinks, " the aim is to advertise more

caffeine, more buzz, more attitude.

Even more controversy.

The latest drink to bust from the pack promises the euphoria of drugs - but

legally. And it's receiving buzz - especially from anti-drug advocates.

The Cocaine Energy Drink, created by a Las Vegas beverage maker, contains no

narcotics but boasts on its Web site, " Instant Rush. No Crash! "

Drinkers are told they will experience the " highest energy content of ANY energy

drink on the market today! 350 percent greater than The Bull! " - a reference to

Red Bull energy drink. Drinkers will experience " possible feelings of euphoria, "

all, apparently, from sugar and caffeine.

Jamey Kirby, the drink's inventor, said the Cocaine Energy Drink contains 280

milligrams of caffeine and costs about $2 a can. An average cup of coffee

contains about 80 milligrams of caffeine.

Drug experts are appalled, and so are nutritionists, who say young people use

the stimulating drinks to help them party through the night.

" Kids get hopped up on drinks called Cocaine and Xtazy and then what happens

when someone offers them a line of real cocaine or an Ecstasy pill? " said ph

Califano, president of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at

Columbia University.

The beverage Cocaine joins other energy drinks using provocative names and edgy

advertising to make a splash in the crowded field of sugary, highly caffeinated

drinks. With names such as Xtazy Energy, PimpJuice and Tantra Erotic Drink, most

are aimed at young people and advertised heavily on the Internet.

" I can't believe they would name a drink after a street drug, " said Andre Emont,

director of pharmaceutical services at University of Medicine and Dentistry of

New Jersey-University Hospital in Newark, N.J. " They are associating this with a

drug people abuse. " Kirby responded that the 8-ounce energy drink does not

promote or glamorize drugs.

" Kids already know what's out there, " Kirby said. " Maybe this can help by making

parents and kids not afraid to talk about drugs. "

Kirby said he expected controversy, " but we were not prepared for this insane

media blitz. "

Industry experts seem less alarmed than drug experts and say marketers for

energy drinks merely are trying to take on a " street attitude " and stand out

from the crowd.

" They are going after the savvy, sophisticated 20-something male. They used to

show extreme sports, like skateboarding. Now they are taking on a street

attitude, " said Theodore, editor of Beverage Industry magazine.

Check Nutrition at my site:

Nutrition.teach-nology.com

Ortiz, RD

nrord@...

" Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and

pumpkin pie. "

Jim , 'Garfield'