Original broadcast date: February 1, 2009

Have you had a Monster or a Red Bull or one of the myriad of “energy” drinks recently? Have you had a chance to read the ingredients label? If you have not, you may want to reconsider.

A study published in the September 2008 edition of the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence conducted at Johns Hopkins by scientists on the effects of caffeine report that a slew of caffeinated energy drinks now on the market should carry prominent labels that note caffeine doses and warn of potential health risks for consumers.

• Dr. Chad Reissig, Ph.D., researcher in the Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit at Johns Hopkins University and lead author of this study