Energy Drink: 5-Hour Drink Has 13 Dead, 33 Hospitalized Since 2004, Are Energy Drinks Posing A Potential Threat? [Statement Inside]

Energy Drinks could be the cause of several deaths in America. Living Essentials LLC's 5-Hour Energy has been cited in 92 reports. There has been 13 deaths and 33 hospitalizations from Jan 2004 to October 2012. 

According to businessweek.com, the Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman Shelly Burgess said, "It takes time to go through these reports and get the information ready and redacted,' she added, "We're making this information available as we can."

There has been a public out cry against energy drinks, Senator Dick Durbin and Senator Richard Blumenthal have sent FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg a letter requesting a meeting regarding the safety of energy drinks.

In the letter the senators wrote, "Over the past year, there has been alarming evidence that energy drinks pose a potential threat to the public's health," the letter read. "It is necessary for the FDA to take immediate action to address a serious public health issue."

Since the media backlash against the company, the 5-Hour Energy drink has posted a full statement on their website stating, "5-hour ENERG is a compact sized energy shot intended for busy adults; it is not an energy drink, nor marketed as a beverage."