Research has found a link between this popular beverage and heart failure.
From sitting too long every day to not working out enough, our behavior can play a significant role in our heart health. That also goes for the things we put in our bodies, including some of our favorite beverages. A new study has found that one drink in particular could be putting your heart in danger, especially if you are regularly and heavily consuming it.
Researchers say heavy energy drink consumption could lead to heart failure.
Researchers from St Thomas' Hospital in London recently published a study concluding that heavy energy drink consumption may be linked to heart failure. According to the study, which was published April 15 in the BMJ Case Reports journal, there are a few reasons regular energy drink consumption could trigger heart failure.While the researchers contend that caffeine can overstimulate the sympathetic nervous system, leading to heart failure, "energy drinks are also known to increase blood pressure, and can precipitate a number of arrhythmias," which are problems with the rate of the heartbeat. Both of these can lead to heart failure as well. "Clear warnings should be provided about the potential cardiovascular dangers of energy drink consumption in large amounts," the study authors note.
A young man experienced heart failure after drinking energy drinks every day.
The researchers for this study reported on a case study of a 21-year-old man who suffered from heart failure but had no significant past medical or family history of heart disease. However, the man had a regular history of drinking energy drinks, consuming an average of four 500 milliliter cans every day for nearly two years. According to the study, his heart failure was severe enough that he was considered for an organ transplant. Thankfully, his heart symptoms and function began to improve significantly with treatment once he cut out energy drinks completely. "However, it is difficult to predict the clinical course of recovery or potential for relapse," the authors warned.
You should be aware of the signs of heart failure if you consume energy drinks.
The 21-year-old patient ended up in the ICU after experiencing four months of progressive shortness of breath during exertion, breathlessness while lying down, and weight loss. According to the National Health Service (NHS), these are all symptoms of heart failure. Other symptoms such as fatigue, swollen ankles or feet, and a persistent cough could also arise with heart failure."When I was drinking up to four energy drinks per day, I suffered from tremors and heart palpitations, which interfered with my ability to concentrate on daily tasks and my studies at university. I also suffered from severe migraine headaches which would often occur during the periods when I did not drink energy drinks; this also restricted my ability to perform day-to-day tasks and even leisurely activities such as going to the park or taking a walk," the 21-year-old man recalled, as reported in the study.
Heart failure kills hundreds of thousands people in the U.S. every year.
Heart failure is a very serious condition. According to the Emory Healthcare system, nearly 5 million people currently have congestive heart failure in the U.S., and around 550,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Notably, it can affect people of every age: Almost 1.4 million of those diagnosed are under the age of 60. Heart failure can also progress very quickly. Nearly 287,000 people die from the condition each year, and more than half of those who develop congestive heart failure die within five years of diagnosis.
Kali Coleman