Energy drinks found to produce harmful changes in blood pressure and heart function, reveals new study

(Natural News)

The harmful effects of energy drinks go beyond their caffeine content, a recent study revealed. According to the authors, a large number of research have long established that energy drinks may adversely affect cardiac health, but none has actually examined the safety of the other ingredients. There are more than 500 energy drink products available in the market today. While both manufacturers and fans claim that these drinks are just as safe as caffeine, an increasing number of associated emergency department visits and deaths say otherwise. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers caffeine doses of up to 400 mg as generally safe. Aside from caffeine, energy drinks were found to contain four ounces of sugar, several B vitamins and an energy blend of taurine and other ingredients.

Previous studies link energy drinks to high blood pressure

Energy drinks have been associated with elevated blood pressure in a number of studies. For instance, a  team of researchers from the Mayo Clinic found that consuming one 16-ounce energy drink may raise blood pressure levels and stress hormone responses. The research team examined 25 healthy participants and found that aside from increased blood pressure levels, the levels of the stress hormone norepinephrine simultaneously grew by nearly 74 percent after consuming energy drinks.
An analysis in 2013 also noted that energy drinks triggered prolonged electrical activation in cardiac ventricles. This prolonged activation was associated with the onset of life-threatening arrhythmia. The analysis also revealed that energy drinks elevated the consumers’ blood pressure levels by more than three points. The findings were presented at the American Heart Association‘s 2013 Scientific Sessions in New Orleans.