Student Dies From Cardiac Arrest After Drinking “Charged Lemonade”

A lawsuit has been filed against Panera Bread after a 21-year-old student died from drinking a caffeinated lemonade from Panera Bread.

Sarah Katz had a heart condition that made her susceptible to caffeine.

And get this.

The new Charged Lemonade Panera contains more caffeine than Red Bull and Monster combined.

Panera Bread's Supercharged Lemonade is equivalent to four cups of coffee. The parents of a 21 year old girl are suing after they say their daughter went into cardiac arrest & died after drinking it. More: pic.twitter.com/LKOVsl5wBu

— Kate Snow (@tvkatesnow) October 24, 2023

How much caffeine exactly?

Check it out here in this NBC News article:

The Charged Lemonade was “offered side-by-side with all of Panera’s non-caffeinated and/or less caffeinated drinks” and was advertised as a “plant-based and clean” beverage that contained as much caffeine as the restaurant’s dark roast coffee, according to photos of both the menu and beverage dispensers in the store, which were included in the wrongful death lawsuit.

ADVERTISEMENT

But at 390 milligrams, the large Charged Lemonade has more caffeine than any size of Panera’s dark roast coffee, the complaint says — numbers that the nutrition facts on Panera’s website confirm. It 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.

“I think everyone thinks lemonade is safe. And really, this isn’t lemonade at all. It’s an energy drink that has lemon flavor,” said Elizabeth Crawford, a partner at the Philadelphia-based law firm Kline & Specter, PC. “It should have an adequate warning.”

390 milligrams of caffeine is crazy for a lemonade.

Let alone a lemonade offered at a Panera Bread.

Now, of course, let’s get to what has been on your mind.

Was she vaccinated?

It isn’t known right now, but I wouldn’t be too surprised, given she was a college student.

Could the vaccine, combined with the lemonade and the heart condition, led to the death?

21 year old Sarah Katz was a University of Pennsylvania student (mandated COVID-19 mRNA vaccines)

She bought a Charged Lemonade from Panera Bread on Sept. 10, 2022 & went into cardiac arrest hours later

COVID-19 mRNA vaccine cardiac injury likely#DiedSuddenly #cdnpoli #ableg pic.twitter.com/uC2k2pwbZu

— William Makis MD (@MakisMD) October 25, 2023

The Guardian has more on the story:

“We were very saddened to learn this morning about the tragic passing of Sarah Katz, and our hearts go out to her family,” a Panera spokesperson told NBC, adding that the company believed in transparency around its ingredients and would “work quickly to thoroughly investigate this matter”.

According a 2019 report by the American Heart Association, individuals with acquired or congenital long QT syndrome and those with hypertension “should be more vigilant and limit their energy drink intake”.

The report estimated that the energy drink market would reach $61bn by 2021 and said that about 30% of teenagers consume them. Despite claims that they can promote performance and cognition, the report noted “detrimental side effects, particularly cardiovascular and neurological in nature”.

No matter the cause of death.

Losing someone so young who was seemingly very bright is always a tragedy.

Whether vaccine might have played a role is unknown.

We will continue to update the story as news breaks.