Update on the debate on the dangers of highly caffeinated "energy drinks"

Not too long ago I posted a series of posts on recent reports related to the debate on whether the so called "energy drinks" contained dangerous levels of caffeine.  See here, here, here and here.

In the most recent of these posts, I reported on an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, available here, detailing how the ingredients in energy drinks may be harmful to some individuals.  

Adding fuel to the fire, yesterday The New York Times reported that three Democratic lawmakers sent letters to 14 marketers of highly caffeinated energy drinks requesting information about the products’ ingredients and any company studies showing their risks and benefits to children and young people. Go here for the NYT article.

In addition, AboutLawsuits and Injured have commented on the subject again here and here. Injured's post reports that emergency room visits associated with energy drinks have doubled in the past four years, according to a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

UPDATE 1-21-13: AboutLawsuits has more on the story here.