Doctors are ‘sounding the alarm’ over energy drinks, linked to sudden heart attack
Energy drinks are the go-to go-go juice for many people looking to battle back fatigue and put a carbonated pep in their proverbial step, but recent research suggests consuming these drinks could lead to serious health conditions.
As The Post has previously reported, energy drinks are known to erode teeth and increase the risk of mental health issues, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts in kids who consume them.
A one-two punch of refined sugar and high caffeine, these bevies are effective at keeping folks alert but the juice, as they say, may not be worth the squeeze since it can cause heart attacks.
Energy drinks include ingredients like taurine and guarana which are known to disrupt cardiovascular function, increasing the risk of arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, a factor that can lead to cardiac arrest.
Reviewing the case studies of 144 patients who survived a sudden cardiac arrest, researchers at The Mayo Clinic found that seven of the survivors, about 5%, had consumed an energy drink before the life-threatening episode.
Dr. Michael J. Ackerman, the lead study author and a genetic cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic said, “Although the relative risk is small and the absolute risk of sudden death after consuming an energy drink is even smaller, patients with a known sudden death predisposing genetic heart disease should weigh the risks and benefits of consuming such drinks.”
Professor Peter Schwartz, the director of Italy’s Center for Cardiac Arrhythmias of Genetic Origin and Laboratory of Cardiovascular Genetics, said the findings aren’t “just an association by chance.”
“We, as well as the Mayo Clinic group, are perfectly aware that there is no clear and definitive evidence that energy drinks indeed cause life-threatening arrhythmias and that more data are necessary, but we would be remiss if we were not sounding the alarm,” he wrote.
By comparison, a cup of coffee contains roughly 100mg of caffeine, energy drinks contain anywhere from 80mg to 300mg per serving, and Panera Bread’s now discontinued “Charged Lemonade” which allegedly caused a near-fatal cardiac arrest in a teen who drank it, contains 390 mg of caffeine.
In reasonable doses, caffeine can be good for us. It increases alertness and heart rate. Drinking black coffee specifically has been linked to weight loss and a lower risk of developing both Alzheimer’s disease and type 2 diabetes.
In short, but not so sweet, caffeine is good for us, refined sugar and artificial sweeteners are not.
Dr. Belinda Griffiths of The Fleet Street Clinic told The Independent, “It increases blood glucose, gives a short burst of energy and then a drop afterward, which can affect your mood, and also make you feel increasingly hungry afterward [meaning] you might want to eat more.”
As The Post reports, refined sugar and artificial sweeteners also wreak havoc on the gut biome.
The takeaway? Have a cup of coffee and leave the cans on the shelf.
