Claims of Bang Energy Drink Health Effects Draw Fire from Competitor

The maker of Bang energy drink is being called on the carpet to back up claims that its energy drink health effects can help cure chronic neurological diseases.

Plaintiff Monster Energy Corp. filed a lawsuit a month ago alleging marketing tactics by defendant VPX Sports are deceptive and violate California’s fair trade laws. VPX Sports, also known as Vital Pharmaceuticals, is owned by former science teacher Jack Owoc, who also serves as the company’s self-proclaimed Chief Science Officer.

Advertisements for Bang allegedly claim its ingredients can help reverse mental retardation, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease. There are no cures for the neurological ailments and diseases Bang allegedly claims to help. The energy drink health effects lawsuit challenges those claims and VPX’s statement that Bang is “the healthiest energy drink.”

According to a Miami Herald article, Owoc posted videos on social media sites that tout Bang contains a “Super Creatine” substance that is “20 times more effective at reaching the brain than other forms of creatine.”

Creatine is a collection of amino acids found naturally in red meat and fish. Many products marketed to bodybuilders contain creatine as a supplement, just as Bang does. Monster’s lawsuit alleges the amount of creatine in Bang energy drinks is not enough to have any real impact on the human body.

“Even if Bang could deliver [its] promised benefits, which again it does not, the ingredients at the heart of [VPX’s] claims — Super Creatine are sprinkled into Bang in such low amounts that none of the purported benefits could ever be delivered through safe consumption of Bang,” Monster alleges in the Bang energy drink health effects lawsuit.

Laboratory tests purportedly indicate many of the amino acids listed prominently on Bang’s ingredient list are undetectable or minimally detectable.

Monster Says Energy Drink Health Effects Overstated

Monster is calling out Bang for making disparaging remarks about Monster energy drinks and for overstating Bang’s energy drink health effects. Monster alleges Bang violated California’s fair trade laws regarding false advertising, unfair competition and trade libel.

“The mind-blowing message here is that we created products that actually induce nutria-genomics which means positively altering muscle genes through supplementation,” says Owoc, describing Bang energy drink health effects on the VPX website.

But Monster begs to differ. Bang is being “marketed as a modern-day snake oil,” accuses Monster in the lawsuit.

Consumers who have purchased Bang under the belief they were receiving better health benefits may have just been receiving just more caffeine. Bang offers 300 milligrams of caffeine in a 16-ounce can, compared with Monster’s 240 milligrams of caffeine in a 24-ounce can. For comparison, one 8-ounce cup of coffee offers 95 milligrams of caffeine.

Despite Owoc’s insistence that “Bang is infinitely safer and healthier than Monster,” four students in Florida were hospitalized after sharing a can of Bang weight-loss drink Redline in 2008. After that incident, the school board banned such extreme energy drinks of all brands.

The Mayo Clinic’s website advocates no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day for healthy adults, per the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). While the DGA does not include safe caffeine limits for children, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children refrain from drinking energy drinks. However, flavor names such as Bang’s “Rainbow Unicorn” and “Purple Haze” tend to attract children’s attention.

If you purchased Bang drinks, including Bang, Redline or VPX, you could be eligible to participate in this energy drink health effects lawsuit investigation.

Join a Free Bang Energy Drink Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you purchased Bang Energy drink because of its health claims, you may qualify to file a Bang Energy Drink class action lawsuit.

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