Primary school pupil suffers ‘cardiac episode’ after drinking cult energy drink Prime and has their stomach pumped, teachers tell worried parents
- A school child allegedly had a ‘cardiac arrest’ consuming a Prime energy drink
- Milton Primary School in Newport, Gwent, warned parents after the incident
A school has written to parents warning that a pupil suffered a ‘cardiac episode’ after drinking a Prime energy drink.
The primary school said the pupil had to have their stomach pumped after consuming the cult drink promoted by YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul.
Milton Primary School in Newport, Gwent, warned parents of the ‘potential harmful effects’ of the drink which contains 200mg of caffeine.
The 474-pupil school told parents, said: ‘This morning a parent has reported that their child has had a cardiac episode over the weekend after drinking a Prime energy drink.
‘The child had to have their stomach pumped and although better now the parent wanted us to share this as a reminder of the potential harmful effects.’
A school has written to parents warning that a pupil suffered a ‘cardiac episode’ after drinking a Prime energy drink
The primary school said the pupil had to have their stomach pumped after consuming the cult drink promoted by YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul
The drinks were launched in the UK last year and quickly sold out in supermarkets with cans then selling online for more than 10 times their retail value.
Prime contains double the amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee and the company says it is not recommended for under 18s.
By law drinks with more than 150mg must be labelled to say: ‘High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breastfeeding women’.
Many UK supermarkets have imposed their own rules against under 16s from buying energy drinks.
Dr Deborah Lee from Dr Fox Online Pharmacy previously said: ‘I would not recommend children drink Prime energy drinks or other energy drinks for children of any age.
Milton Primary School in Newport, Gwent, warned parents of the ‘potential harmful effects’ of the drink which contains 200mg of caffeine
‘Children don’t need energy drinks anyway – they have plenty of energy. If your child is lacking in energy take them to see their GP – do not give them an energy drink.’
READ MORE: Prime has sparked muggings, near-riots in shops – and sells for up to £100 a bottle. So what on earth is all the fuss about?
Speaking last year, the British Soft Drinks Association said: ‘Energy drinks and their ingredients have been deemed safe by regulatory authorities around the world.
‘Energy drink manufacturers have taken all possible steps to be clear about the suitability of energy drinks.
‘Retailers, schools and parents all have a role to play in educating children about caffeine and sugar consumption from all sources.’
On April 18, queues formed outside Aldi stores as it brought in new supplies of Prime energy drink weeks after a social media frenzy saw scuffles break out in the aisles and bottles selling for as much as £100.
The drink, by YouTube stars KSI and Logan Paul, returned to branches of the budget supermarket nationwide this morning and is available to buy for £.1.99.
Shoppers can choose from six different flavours, including the new Limited Edition Orange and Mango, Meta Moon, Tropical Punch, Blue Raspberry, Lemon and Lime, and Ice Pop.
The announcement comes after shoppers were sent into a frenzy when the drinks were first released, prompting muggings and near-riots in shops.
As the supermarket prepares for what is likely to be another flurry of demand for the products, it warned customers they will only be able to buy one bottle per person of each flavour.
Shoppers queue up at Aldi in Ancoats, Manchester last month to buy new flavours of the viral energy drink Prime
Lewis Hird, 24, managed to get his hand on several bottles of the ‘hydration’ drink
The drink, by YouTube stars KSI and Logan Paul, returned to Aldi branches nationwide on April 18. Pictured: A shopper in Ancoats
So what is actually in the viral Prime drink?
The drink launched by influencer boxers Logan Paul and KSI has been marketed as a healthy alternative to many energy drinks.
The vast majority of each 500ml bottle is filtered water, mixed with 10 per cent coconut water.
The latter is good source of minerals like potassium, magnesium, calcium and sodium important components of in heart, skeletal and muscle health.
Branding around Prime boasts it contains no added sugar and zero caffeine. Therefore it isn’t really an energy drink.
Cans of energy drinks, and in particular their consumption by young people, have been controversial as some can contain more than 80g of sugar and have as much caffeine as three cups of coffee.
In comparison, prime only has 2g of sugar per bottle, about 7 per cent of an adult’s recommended intake. It instead gets its sweetness from a substances Sucralose and Acesulfame K.
These are both artificial sweeteners, a family of low-calorie chemicals used instead of sugar.
While there have been some health concerns about these substances, health authorities say they are safe.
However, some studies have suggested sweeteners can stimulate appetite or alter the gut microbiome and therefore increase the risk of weight gain and obesity.
In another tweet, it revealed it would be stocking six flavours of the drink including lemon lime and meta moon.
The bottles will be sold for £1.99 each, but the supermarket has warned that once they’re gone, they’re gone.
Following the announcement, excited shoppers responded to suggest they were already preparing for chaos in order to pick up a bottle.
One person wrote: ‘This is going to be one stressful pre school run visit to my local store to try and get some.’
Another customer dismissed the idea altogether, claiming: ‘I can’t face it’.
One customer, who decided not to get caught up in the madness, joked they were ‘cancelling [their] big shop’ so they didn’t have to deal with how busy it would be.
After Prime was first launched in the US last year, it has been estimated that more than 100 million bottles have now been sold worldwide.
The popularity of the energy drink, which is mainly comprised of filtered water and coconut water, is thought to have been fuelled by the enormous social media reach of KSI and Logan Paul.
In February, the launch of a new flavour of the drink sent shoppers wild as people were filmed queueing for hours outside supermarkets to get their hands on bottles.
Shocking footage emerged of a branch of Sainsbury’s in Liverpool where shoppers fought over bottles of the orange and mango flavour.
As the entrance opened for the first time, scenes soon descended into carnage as impatient shoppers, including both adults and children, climbed over each other in a desperate bid to reach the bottles.
Furious staff, who had moments earlier warned of a three-bottle limit per person, could be heard urging the customers to ‘stop f***ing pushing’.
Another individual could be heard saying, ‘guys, it’s just a drink’.
Prime, which was created by YouTube stars KSI and Logan Paul, often sells out within minutes of reaching supermarket stores
Children were seen in the crush as staff members tried to prevent the fighting.
And when the drink first arrived in the UK in June last year, scenes of pandemonium broke out.
Demand for the drinks outpaced supply as youngsters tried to emulate their social media heroes.
When Aldi started selling Prime last December, limiting bottles to one per person, customers queued at dawn and were pictured jumping over shelves in the frenzy to get their hands on it.
Wakefield Wines, an off-licence in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, went viral after reportedly selling bottles for £100 each, while a 12-pack was advertised for £50,000 on auction site eBay, together fuelling the demand further.
But the craze acquired a sinister edge when a 17-year-old in Kent was arrested for stealing a case, and reports emerged of children being bullied into handing over their drinks.
One ten-year-old was also reportedly punched in the face when he refused to give his drink to a group of teenagers in the park.
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