Editor's Note: In response to a recent paper that sparked alarming headlines about the impact of energy drinks on heart function, Monster Beverage Corporation expressed concern that the paper is misleading and offers no new information. Although the paper concludes that energy drink consumption should be restricted, the conclusion is unsupported by data and highly misleading, according to Monster. The company also disputes the author's claim that energy drinks contain up to three times higher than other caffeinated beverages, citing a Forbes article that notes the energy drinks used in the study contain less than half the caffeine per ounce than a coffeehouse coffee.

Press Release

Monster Beverage Corporation responds to paper on energy drinks and heart function

CORONA, Calif., Dec. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Monster Beverage Corporation (Nasdaq:MNST) today released the following statement in response to a paper presented at the Radiological Society of North America's annual meeting entitled "Caffeine and Taurine Containing Energy Drink Improves Systolic Left-ventricular Contractility in Healthy Volunteers Assessed by Strain Analysis Using Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Tagging":

The December 2(nd) presentation to the Radiological Society of North America by Jonas Dorner, a radiologist in training at the University of Bonn, is alarmist and misleading, according to Monster Beverage independent medical consultants Robert Arnot, M.D. and Michael H. Forman, M.D. The paper offers no new information and confirms what scientists have known for decades: Taurine helps the heart function more efficiently by improving the pumping force of the heart without any changes in blood pressure or heart rate. This effect of taurine, called contractility, is widely considered to be beneficial. In fact, peer reviewed studies demonstrate that taurine has been used effectively to treat patients with congestive heart failure and to improve athletic performance.

The author's study does not document a negative effect on heart function. Although he concludes that the consumption of energy drinks should be restricted based on his study, this conclusion is unsupported by his data and highly misleading. No evidence exists that increased contractility causes arrhythmia.