Relaxation drinks raise angst in some quarters

As every action has an equal and opposite reaction, the emergence of relaxation drinks after the market success of energy drinks should come as no surprise. But in a piece for The Kansas City Star, Rick Montgomery is finding downer drinks are one part of the functional beverage marketplace that is raising cultural and health questions in some quarters.

Products such as Drank, RelaxZen, Vacation in a Bottle and iChill are touted as anti-energy drinks, promoted for their ability to deliver stress relief. Peter Bianchi, CEO of Innovative Beverage Group Inc., which produces Drank, told Montgomery relaxation beverages are the next step in the functional beverage space. He said, I wanted to get up in the morning and drink Red Bull to get me going and at the end of the day go home and just relax. Everybody being turned on to this sees the benefit in a healthy alternative to drinking a bottle of Jack Daniels or reaching for the medicine cabinet.

Different products include ingredients such as valerian root, rose hips and L-theanine, although the go-to inclusion appears to be melatonin. However, while it is used in dietary supplements, melatonin does not have GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status for use in foods or beverages. FDA spokesman Michael Herndon told Montgomery, The FDA can take regulatory action if it determines that the substance is not truly GRAS for the intended use. At present, we have not done this with melatonin in so-called relaxation drinks.

The use of melatonin, which is naturally generated in the human body at night, raises concerns in other quarters, Montgomery reported. For example, Ann Romaker, director of the St. Lukes Health System Sleep Disorders Centers, said, Melatonin is not something you want to take any time of day.