Is vaping natural caffeine safe? South Alabama partnership to find out

The University of South Alabama has entered into a research partnership with Next Level Energy Inc to look into the safety and efficacy of vaping the firm’s natural caffeine products.

The partnership will look specifically at the firm’s highly popular Eagle Energy natural caffeine vapourisers and will entail clinical trials by the university’s Department of Health, Kinesiology and Sport. The department was tapped for its expertise in the subject, having previously conducted and published clinical trials on other caffeine supplement products and energy drinks.

“We’re the only brand in the sector doing this level of research, and as a leader in the natural caffeine supplement space, continued research on the products we sell is paramount,” said Next Level Energy Founder and CEO Elliot Mashford in a media release. 

“And while we already have supporting data on Eagle Energy’s safety and efficacy, the opportunity to do further research with a university as credible as South Alabama is fantastic.

“We’ve received positive preliminary data and look forward to seeing the final results of this clinical trial.”

The Vancouver-based Next Level, today a leader in the natural caffeine supplement space, was launched in 2015 just as conscious consumerism really began muscling its way into the mainstream. 

Consumers today have become more selective with what they put in their bodies, with health and environmental concerns influencing their choices more often than not.

To tap into what it saw then as a growing market, Next Level began developing alternative technologies for caffeine users, using over a decade of data on electronic vapouriser products to build a product for the modern consumer. Specifically, they wanted to find a better and healthier way for consumers to get their energy fix.

Eagle Energy was created as a result of that work – the first and only inhalable energy supplement made from natural, active, plant-based ingredients, including guarana extract, ginseng, and vitamin B12.

“We founded Eagle Energy with the goal of providing caffeine users with a better alternative,” said Mashford. 

“Where high-calorie energy drinks are known to cause a sugar-rush, followed by a crash within an hour of consumption, Eagle Energy vaporizers are sugar and calorie-free as well as gastro-friendly. Which means a healthier way to get an energy boost, without the crash or stomach ache.”

The product has grown by leaps and bounds since then, with Next Level recently reporting fiscal 2018/19 as its first profitable year. This can be credited to a growing loyal customer base and its expansion into markets across the US, Japan, China, Israel, South Korea and the Gulf Cooperation Council, which are driving a 462 percent revenue gain.

But is vaping caffeine, even natural caffeine, safe? That question continues to linger, even as sales grow. 

And with the outbreak of lung injuries among e-cigarette users in the US spreading alarm over the potential dangers of vaping, the firm also has to contend with the stigmatisation of vaping in general.

This is what its partnership with the University of South Alabama could help it do.

Caffeine vapourisers are an emerging trend in the energy sector with noteworthy market potential. Caffeine is an over US$100 billion industry and the global energy drink market is expected to reach over US$68 Billion by 2023.