Citation

Pourchez J, Mercier C, Leclerc L, Forest V. Lancet Respir. Med. 2024; 12(8): e47.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S2213-2600(24)00188-7

PMID

39089763

Abstract

In 2024, the consumption of snortable energy powders as consumer products or dietary supplements has increased worldwide. In the last 12 months, a number of brands have successively launched commercial products globally, such as Want a BUMP, in the US market, SniffUp, in Germany, and Sniffy, in France. These powders for nasal inhalation contain well known ingredients normally found in energy drinks, including concentrated ingredients such as caffeine, taurine, ginkgo, creatine, and maltodextrin, and consumers are encouraged to sniff them directly through the nasal cavity. These various commercial products are currently unregulated but are already being sold in some convenience shops (eg, they have been sold in tobacco shops in France since the beginning of May, 2024) and are also readily accessible online. However, the overall health risks of these new consumer products are poorly documented, and they have been condemned by several media outlets and politicians.

But what are the potential risks?
First, regarding the public health risk of inhalable concentrated caffeine powder, in 2023, the US FDA had already warned against the sale of particular highly concentrated caffeine products. The recommended safe dose of caffeine is estimated at 400 mg daily, which corresponds to a concentration of approximately 20-24 mg/mL in blood.

The commercial product Sniffy, which has been flooding the French market since early May, 2024, is packaged in the form of a white powder in vials containing 1 g of powder with up to 10% caffeine (ie, 100 mg caffeine per vial). A consumer could therefore easily exceed the recommended health threshold dose by consuming only four vials per day. In addition, nasal administration avoids first-pass metabolism and favours rapid absorption in the blood.

Second, the chemical composition of these powders is legal, but the use of sniffable energy powder raises concerns about the health of the nasal mucosa. Ingredients such as caffeine, creatine, taurine, and beta-alanine can irritate sensitive mucous membranes and cause dryness or inflammation. When using sniffable energy powders, care must also be taken to minimise sleep disturbances as well as to avoid mixing the powders with alcohol and to consider the numerous possible drug interactions with caffeine. Finally...

Language: en

Keywords

Humans; Explosions; *Powders