Logan Paul’s energy drink has more caffeine than the legal Australian limit

The social media sensation energy drink being marketed at Australian kids contains six times the amount of caffeine as a can of Coke, and is only legal to sell here due to a loophole that allows it to be considered a “dietary supplement”.

Logan Paul and KSI – real name Olajide William Olatunji – attracted thousands of young fans when they went to Nine’s Sydney office last week to promote their new energy drink “PRIME”, but experts warn the amount of caffeine in one can is dangerously high.

Logan Paul (right) with KSI spruiking their energy drink Drink Prime.Credit:Instagram

Dr Gina Trapp, head of food and nutrition research at the Telethon Kids Research Institute, says the high quantity of caffeine in Prime is a concern for children, who have a lower tolerance to the substance and are more vulnerable to its effects.

The maximum allowable amount of caffeine in a drink in Australia is 32 mg per 100 ml. A can of Coke has 9mg per 100ml, a can of Red Bull has exactly 32mg per 100ml, right on the legal limit – but a can of Prime has 56mg per 100ml.

“If a product is called a ‘dietary supplement’ it is not bound by these caffeine limits,” Trapp said.

Bottles of the energy drink have become hot property. One signed can was listed on Facebook Marketplace for $7500 and the drinks have sold out in the US, the UK, and Australia. That some schools have banned the drink undoubtedly only adds to its notoriety and appeal.

The energy drink – there is also a caffeine-free “hydration” option – contains a disclaimer that it is not recommended for children under the age of 18, but this label is small and indistinct compared to the marketing and images on the rest of the can, noted Trapp. Buried in the Frequently Asked Questions on the Prime Energy website is a line that says the drink is not suitable for children under 18.

“The marketing of energy drinks (and Prime Energy) is highly attractive to young people,” Trapp said. “Energy drink advertisements promise consumers improved energy, performance and concentration, thus young consumers may falsely believe that more is better and consume multiple servings – putting them at even greater health risk.”

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has likened the drink to “swallowing perfume” – and put aside the “zero sugar” health-washing claims, which sound less sweet when you consider it contains a sugar substitute instead, which is just as bad.

Professor Ben Desbrow, a dietitian at Brisbane’s Griffith University, said he would not give his athletes a product such as Prime.

Thousands of screaming fans flocked to meet online Youtube sensations KSI (left) and Logan Paul outside Nine’s Sydney office.Credit:Nine News

“It’s just a cocktail of compounds, with ‘feel good’ nutrition claims like coconut water. Products like these have no association with a high-quality diet for sport,” said Desbrow, who promotes a food-first mentality for performance. “We might target caffeine as a supplement, but we are not going to deliver it in this vehicle because it comes with a bunch of other crap.”

While some athletes may consume these types of drinks, he said: “Some individuals are good enough to get away with bad behaviours, but they’re not maximising their own personal potential.”

“If it was one of these drinks on a rare occasion by itself, that would be fine. But that’s not typically the way these drinks are consumed. And certainly that’s not the way they’re consumed by young people,” he said.

Desbrow said a healthy body has the ability to switch on and off between stimulation and relaxation. “What we are seeing with these products is that you’re on all the time.”

Little is known about other ingredients in many energy drinks or their combined effect, research suggests.

The effects of caffeine can be dangerous. In adults, the side effects can include anxiety and insomnia at low doses (about 50mg), tremors, seizures, tachycardia and miscarriage at moderate doses (about 250-500mg), vomiting, psychosis, hallucinations and stroke at high doses (more than 500mg) and even sudden death (toxicity more than 15mg/kg), Trapp said.

”Studies have shown that energy drinks are associated with a number of negative health effects – heart issues, sleeping problems, difficulty concentrating, gut disturbance,” Trapp said.

“Due to the health risks associated with these drinks, other countries have banned the sale of energy drinks to children, or altogether. Current Australian regulatory requirements aren’t enough to protect children so it’s important that parents advise their children not to drink them.”

It’s a challenge for parents when the influencers of their children’s choices are those focused on fame and fortune not the long-term health or wellbeing of their followers.

“There’s no one that’s looking out for these young people,” Desbrow said. “This is all about making as much money as you can as quickly as you can from a very easily influenced social group.”

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