Edmonton store has sold 'thousands and thousands' of bottles of Prime, the expensive hydration drink

Dangers of popular sports drinks An Edmonton business is selling thousands of units of a popular drink, but are there health risks? Jeremy Thompson reports.

A hydration drink made by a pair of internet celebrities that is mainly popular among teenagers is "selling out like crazy" in Edmonton.

YEG Exotic Pops has sold "thousands and thousands of bottles" of Prime — Logan Paul's and KSI's company — since last June.

"Whether it's kids or parents, they're rushing to the doors grabbing dozens at a time," Jessie Matthews, the store's owner, told CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday.

"Usually when a parent comes in they'll grab 20 to 70 drinks. They're buying them for the whole sports team."

Prime makes two different types of drinks: a hydration drink that contains 10 per cent coconut water, BCAAs and electrolytes, and an energy drink with 200 mg of caffeine and electrolytes.

The hydration drink is caffeine free, and the energy drink is not recommended for people under the age of 18 and women who are pregnant.

"A lot of the hype has definitely been around the hydration…I definitely would say we hear a lot more about the hydration," Matthews said.

Prime's hydration drink is typically more expensive than the competition, with YEG Exotic Pops selling it for as high as $10 per bottle.

Its energy drink is not widely sold in Canada, but YEG Exotic Pops has it in stock.

MEDICAL CONCERNS

A local doctor is worried the social media trend is having a negative effect on young people.

"My main concern is in the pediatric population because most of these people under the age of 18 are not tolerant to caffeine; they're actually quite caffeine sensitive. So even one of these drinks can have pretty significant health impacts," Dr. Shazma Mithani said of energy drinks.

The health impacts can include heart and brain issues, Dr. Mithani said.

While Dr. Mithani's concerns are largely related to energy drinks in this case, she thinks hydration drinks are unnecessary and unhealthy.

"If we're looking at hydration drinks in general, water is a perfect way to hydrate yourself. You don't have to spend money on these things…there's nothing better for hydration than water."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson