A 21-year-old student died after drinking a Charged Lemonade from Panera Bread, drawing more attention to the energy drink market, which remains popular among young people.
The family of Sarah Katz alleged in a lawsuit that the University of Pennsylvania student was not properly alerted through Panera’s marketing that the drink contained 390mg of caffeine – more than a can of Red Bull and a can of Monster Energy combined. Katz lived with a heart condition called long QT syndrome type 1, and her roommate told NBC News that she was “very, very vigilant” about avoiding high doses of caffeine that could endanger her. Katz died of cardiac arrhythmia. (The FDA says 400mg of caffeine a day is generally safe “for healthy adults”.)
