Logal Paul’s Prime Energy Drink May Be Investigated by the FDA
A Youtuber-backed energy drink brand called Prime with immense popularity among kids is being hammered by lawmakers. Its founders Logal Paul and KSI, have followings that, together, number in the tens of millions. But Senator Chuck Schumer, who has called upon the Food & Drug Administration to investigate the brand, takes issue with the potentially harmful makeup of the influencers’ energy drinks.
“Kids see [Prime energy drinks] on their phones or as they scroll, and they actually need it and the problem here is that this product has so much caffeine in it that it puts Red Bull to shame, but unlike Red Bull, this product has one true target market: children under the age of 18, and that is why I am sounding the alarm and asking the FDA to investigate [Prime].”
Prime’s caffeinated energy drink contains 200mg of caffeine in 12 ounces of liquid, which is nearly double the caffeine load in a single can of Red Bull (111mg), and more than twice the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee.
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
The average adult can safely consume about 400mg of caffeine daily, so a can with 200mg of caffeine isn’t necessarily destructive. But that number is likely lower for children, hence Senator Schumer’s call for the FDA to investigate the brand for marketing to younger people, and still represents a massive amount of caffeine to ingest in one drink. For reference, the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual outlines caffeine intoxication as the consumption of 250mg of caffeine or more over a short period—200mg all at once isn’t far off that mark. Overconsumption of caffeine can lead to sleep issues, cardiovascular problems, and habitual substance use.
There are healthier energy drink alternatives with less caffeine and sugar and more beneficial add-ons like vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, and more. There are even effective caffeine-free energy drinks and powders.
There are also myriad routine changes that can boost your energy levels—keeping hydrated, including plenty of fruits in your diet, establish a proper sleep protocol, etc.—on top of supplements you can take, like vitamin B12.
