Chris D’Adamo, our Scientific Director and Principal Investigator who is also the Director of Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, weighed in on the Prime Energy drink controversy on a TV interview. You can watch the interview here.

The drink is controversial because it contains 200mg of caffeine – more than six times the amount than Coca-Cola (Coke) – and is pushed by social-media influencers, causing it to become immensely popular with children and teens. Because the drink is being marketed towards children, it is now under scrutiny by Senator Charles Schumer who wants the FDA to investigate it.

In the interview, Dr. D’Adamo stated that the amount of caffeine in Prime Energy can contribute to a child’s total load of stressors which can include poor diet, poor sleep and exposure to chemicals, among other things.

Rather than relying on caffeine for reducing fatigue, Dr. D’Adamo recommended that kids get back to the core foundations of getting better sleep, getting outside, getting light and movement for attaining more sustainable energy.

About Chris D’Adamo PhD

An epidemiologist and Director of the Center of Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland Medical School, Dr. D’Adamo has published over 70 papers with many of them focused on nutrition. Besides nutrition, he has published on many of the factors that contribute to total load, such as environmental toxicants.

These papers add to the growing body of evidence that a wide variety of “modern living” factors are stressors to our health. At Documenting Hope, we know it is the total load of stressors from living in the modern world that makes our children develop chronic health and developmental issues. We are grateful to have Dr. Chris D’Adamo leading the charge on the Documenting Hope Research Studies to gather the evidence necessary to protect our children.