In light of the lawsuit filed by the parents of a 17-year-old girl from Wesloco, Texas who died as a result of heart enlargement caused by overconsumption of caffeine, new questions and concerns regarding youth caffeine intake have been raised.

Larissa Nicole Rodriguez, died in October of last year from cardiomegaly, enlargement of the heart, according to the Hidalgo County medical examiner.  The examiner also said the enlargement was, “due to stress and large amounts of caffeine.”

The family of Rodriguez have filed a lawsuit against the distributor of Alani Nu energy drinks, Glazer’s Beer and Beverage and Glazer’s Beer and beverage of Texas.  Benny Agosto Jr., the attorney for the family, in a press conference said the drinks “had inadequate warnings about the serious cardiac risks that this product brings.”

Agosto went on to say that for a year leading up to Rodriguez’s death, she drank at least one per day, sometimes more.  The death and lawsuit have spurred a new wave of inquiries into caffeine intake and energy drink consumption in young people.  This isn’t the first time concerns like these have been raised, in 2022 a 21 year old University of Pennsylvania student named Sarah Katz died after consuming “charged lemonade”, from Panera Bread, the family also filed a lawsuit based on improper advertisement and product warnings, “most important thing, is making the public aware of these dangers to make sure it doesn’t happen to someone else,” said Victoria Conroy, a friend of Katz.

Experts recommend no more than 100mg of caffeine per day for those 12-18 years old.  But many teens still consume multiple times that quantity a day.  “Energy should not come from the can, it should come from health,” said cardiologist Dr. Ravi Ashwath.