Sen. Chuck Schumer asks FDA to investigate PRIME energy drinks

BOSTON - The U.S. government is being asked to look into the potential harm of an energy drink popular among children and founded by two YouTube Influencers, Logan Paul and KSI.

PRIME energy drinks come packaged in bright-colored bottles in a variety of sweet flavors and have become so popular among children and teens that it has generated long lines at grocery stores. But PRIME beverages contain such high levels of caffeine - 200 mg., which is equivalent to six cans of Coke or two Red Bulls - that some schools in the United Kingdom and Australia have banned it. 

 Now Senator Charles Schumer from New York has asked the FDA to investigate PRIME, saying he's concerned about the potentially harmful effects on children such as digestive issues, anxiety, insomnia and heart problems. 

It's recommended that kids younger than 12 avoid caffeine altogether and kids 12 to 18 should drink no more than 100 mg a day. The company says its product sports a warning label saying it is not recommended for children under 18.

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• Chuck Schumer

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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