Story by Elizabeth Chuck \u2022 24m<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Health Topics mentioned in this article<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Health<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An Ivy League student with a heart condition died after drinking Panera Bread\u2019s \u201ccharged lemonade,\u201d a large cup of which contains more caffeine than cans of Red Bull and Monster energy drinks combined, according to a lawsuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Panera Bread did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The suit was filed on behalf of the parents of Sarah Katz, a 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania student who had taught CPR in underserved communities and had been a research assistant at a children\u2019s hospital. Katz had a heart condition called long QT syndrome type 1 and avoided energy drinks at the recommendation of her doctors, according to the filing.<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sarah Katz. (Courtesy Katz family)\u00a9 Provided by NBC News<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Sept. 10, 2022, Katz purchased a charged lemonade from a Panera Bread in Philadelphia, according to the suit. She went into cardiac arrest hours later, said her roommate and close friend, Victoria Rose Conroy.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The charged lemonade was \u201coffered side-by-side with all of Panera\u2019s non-caffeinated and\/or less caffeinated drinks\u201d and was advertised as a \u201cplant-based and clean\u201d beverage that contained as much caffeine as the restaurant\u2019s dark roast coffee, according to photos of both the menu and beverage dispensers in the store, which were included in the wrongful death lawsuit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But at 390 milligrams, the large charged lemonade has more caffeine than any size of Panera\u2019s dark roast coffee, the complaint says \u2014 numbers that the nutrition facts on Panera\u2019s website<\/a> confirm. The charged lemonade also has guarana extract, another stimulant, as well as the equivalent of nearly 30 teaspoons of sugar, the complaint continues, adding that 390 milligrams of caffeine is higher than the caffeine content of standard cans of Red Bull and Monster energy drinks combined. Katz had gotten the large cup, which is 30 fluid ounces, according to the attorney representing her family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think everyone thinks lemonade is safe. And really, this isn\u2019t lemonade at all. It\u2019s an energy drink that has lemon flavor,\u201d said Elizabeth Crawford, a partner at Philadelphia-based law firm Kline & Specter, PC. \u201cIt should have an adequate warning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The lawsuit alleges the charged lemonade is \u201cdefective in design because it is a dangerous energy drink.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese unregulated beverages include no warning of any potentially dangerous effects, even the life-threatening effects on blood pressure, heart rate, and\/or brain function,\u201d it says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conroy described Katz as an excellent student and \u201cthe most involved and passionate person I\u2019ve ever met,\u201d someone who would smile and wave to everyone on campus. She was careful to tell people that she couldn\u2019t consume energy drinks and made other modifications for her health condition, but she \u201cnever let it stop her from achieving the things that she wanted to do,\u201d Conroy said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Katz had been diagnosed with long QT syndrome at the age of 5, according to Crawford. The American Heart Association<\/a> describes long QT as a disorder of the heart\u2019s electrical system that can cause abnormal heart rhythms as a result of exercise or stress; it can be well-managed with medication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to medication, Katz\u2019s condition was controlled by regular doctor visits, where \u201ceverything was always normal,\u201d Crawford said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n About 1 in 2,000 people have congenital long QT syndrome, with some showing no symptoms and others fainting or experiencing heart palpitations in response to triggers such as exercise or being startled, said Dr. Charles Berul, an electrophysiologist at Children\u2019s National Hospital in Washington. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Berul, who did not treat Katz and is not involved in the lawsuit, said that caffeine is allowable in moderation for long QT patients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe tell people not to worry, it\u2019s fine to have a Coke or a small coffee each day,\u201d said Berul, who is on the board of trustees for the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes Foundation, an advocacy organization for those with heart rhythm abnormalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/a><\/a>Panera Charged Lemonade (Smith Collection \/ Gado via Getty Images)\u00a9\u00a0Smith Collection<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut some of the smaller studies have shown that energy drinks, drinks that have caffeine plus other ingredients like taurine, other things, might be a little riskier,\u201d Berul said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The lawsuit says Katz purchased an Unlimited Sip Club membership from Panera, which allows customers to pay a monthly fee for unlimited drinks, about a week and a half before her death. Conroy said Katz had bought at least one other charged lemonade in the days prior to her cardiac arrest.<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n On the day of her death, Katz had purchased a charged lemonade and collapsed several hours later while at a birthday gathering for a friend at a restaurant, Conroy said. Emergency personnel transported her to the hospital, where she had another cardiac arrest, this time fatal, the lawsuit says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe was taken from us so soon, and she shouldn\u2019t have been,\u201d Conroy said. \u201cShe had so much more to give.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n A medical examiner\u2019s report that Crawford shared with NBC News showed that Katz\u2019s cause of death was cardiac arrhythmia due to long QT syndrome. The report does not mention the beverage as a contributing factor but notes that she had no drugs in her system, other than what the hospital used to try to resuscitate her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Caffeine can have health consequences for people beyond those with long QT syndrome and other heart disorders. Large amounts can also pose risks to people with other underlying conditions as well as to pregnant or breastfeeding individuals and to children, the Food and Drug Administration<\/a> says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Panera\u2019s website, the caffeine content of its charged lemonade ranges from 260 milligrams in the regular size to 390 milligrams in the large, 30-ounce size, while the caffeine content of its dark roast coffee ranges from 161 milligrams in a small to 268 milligrams in a large, which is 20 fluid ounces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Panera\u2019s charged lemonade has attracted attention on social media. In December 2022, a customer who said she didn\u2019t know how caffeinated the drink was shared a viral TikTok<\/a> of herself after consuming free refills of the mango yuzu charged lemonade and captioned the video, \u201cthis drink should come with a warning because it\u2019s delicious and will lead to my cardiac arrest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On its website, Panera refers<\/a> to its charged lemonades as \u201cthe ultimate energy drink,\u201d although the lawsuit alleges that it was not advertised as such in-store at the time of Katz\u2019s death. It is not clear how long that verbiage has been used on the restaurant chain\u2019s site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you\u2019re going to market it that way and know it\u2019s energy drink, how can you not market it that way in the actual store?\u201d Crawford said. \u201cThe reasonable consumer is not going to go onto the website to compare it to see whether or not there\u2019s any additional information.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Katz\u2019s parents, who declined to speak about the lawsuit, are desperate for people to understand exactly what is in Panera\u2019s charged lemonade before they buy it, Crawford said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat has become their most important thing, is making the public aware of these dangers to make sure that it doesn\u2019t happen to someone else,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This story first appeared on <\/em>NBCNews.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nA potential risk to other populations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/emma-moji2-632x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"