Experts are now concerned about the risks that may come with consuming energy drinks
There was a recent study in the American Heart Journal find the research here, found that energy drinks containing caffeine can change the electrical activity of the heart and increase blood pressure
Your heart beats about 80 times in a minute and these beats are controlled by electric currents that make sure that your heart beats in sync
These changes are mild, however, but if you take certain medications and have a kind of heart condition that you may not be aware of, you can throw your heart beat out of sync which may be fatal.
Drugs are usually passed through rigorous tests to ensure that they are safe for consumption. These products do not go through the same rigorous tests but can be quite as harmful
According to the American Society of Pediatrics, Children should not consume energy drinks at all
What does it contain?
The average energy drink contains caffeine, sugars, vitamins, stimulants like taurine, guarana, and L-carnitine
Currently, there is not much that research has been able to show about these products and how they might interact to be harmful, but there is still research that is ongoing
Who should not take them?
- Pregnant women
- Children under the age of 18
- People who do not take caffeine on a regular basis
- People who are taking certain medications
As they could be dangerous to these groups of people seeing as they might contain high amounts of caffeine and these other stimulants in amounts that are not found in normal meals in the normal day to day life of these people
Here are some effects of energy drinks
They can make your blood thicker
According to a research done in 2010, it was found that energy drinks can acutely increase the gathering of platelets in the blood and also reduce the function of the inner lining of your blood vessels, these are risk factors for a stroke or even a heart attack and there has been anecdotal evidence linking energy drinks to sudden heart attacks
There was the case of a 28-year-old racer who died after taking up to eight cans of energy drinks, it was found that his heart vessels were completely locked up, the only thing they could find in his blood was the high levels of caffeine and taurine which are contained in these energy drinks
During exercise, your blood vessels have to enlarge to supply more blood, if they become smaller, they could lead to a heart attack.
They can increase your heart rate
You can always feel your heart rate increase after taking an energy drink, if you have a medical condition, you may be placing yourself at risk of danger, increase your blood pressure and increase your stress levels which are detrimental in the long run
There have been cases of people who have gone into sudden cardiac death after taken more than one energy drink, after looking closely and trying to find out how they died, the only thing they could find was very high amounts of caffeine and taurine after their blood was analyzed
They can affect your brain
If you take caffeine in excess of 200mg, you can have what is called caffeine intoxication
The symptoms can be muscle twitches, restlessness, periods when you do not feel tired, anxiety, stomach upset or problems
Some energy drinks contain as much as 200mg of caffeine per serving or can and these can be harmful to you depending on your reaction to caffeine
Adults should not have more than one energy drink per day, even the US Military has banned its troops from taking too many energy drinks because it can lead to sleep problems and extreme fatigue afterwards
Adolescents who take these drinks have been shown to have raised blood pressure
So before you pick that drink, please ensure that your heart has been checked by a doctor,
Also, if you must take, take with discretion. NOt more than one drink and children not at all.
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