Published on: 11/14/2015IST
The Effects Of Energy Drinks On Your Blood Pressure And Heart Rate Are Worse Than You Thought!
Do you drink energy drinks often for that extra boost? Or do you only mix them with your alcohol? Either way, you could be doing serious damage to your health.?
Energy drinks harm your heart, even if you?re young and healthy.
A new study found that energy drinks can cause high blood pressure, increased heart rate and serious cardiovascular risks.
If you think that the effect is only limited to elderly people, or people with heart problems, think again! The study found that drinking even one energy drink can cause potentially harmful spikes in both stress hormone levels and blood pressure in young, healthy adults.
The researchers examined the effect of energy drink consumption on hemodynamic changes, such as blood pressure and heart rate. The participants of the study were fasting and abstained from drinking caffeine or alcohol for 24 hours before each day of the study. Serum levels of caffeine, plasma glucose and norepinephrine (noradrenaline) were measured and blood pressure and heart rate were obtained at baseline and 30 minutes after drink ingestion.?
The results of the study showed that caffeine levels remained unchanged after the placebo drink, but increased significantly after energy drink consumption. Consumption of the energy drink elicited a 6.2% increase in systolic blood pressure, whereas diastolic blood pressure increased by 6.8%. Consumption of the energy drink also increased average blood pressure level by 6.4%.?
The excess caffeine and stimulants in these drinks are to blame.?
Researchers and doctors said the risks are probably caused by the excess caffeine and other stimulants present in these drinks.?
"Energy drinks contain caffeine and other stimulants which stress the cardiovascular system. Frequent use of such stimulants increases the burden on the heart. So chronic users of such drinks are prone to heart problems," said Dr. Kewal Krishan, program in-charge of heart transplants and ventricular assist devices at Max Hospital.?
Experts maintained that though the findings are significant, further research is required to validate the results.?
Energy drink consumption is increasing in India.
Doctors in India say that there is an increasing trend of consuming these commercially available energy drinks, mainly among the youth and that this can cause serious health risks in the future.?
"There is a growing tendency to consume energy drinks before difficult tasks like exams and sporting events, however this could lead to an increase in autonomic nerve system responses as demonstrated in this study, and could therefore jeopardise performance instead of improving it. Further, repeated intake increases blood pressure and the risk of heart disease," says Dr. Anoop Misra, a leading endocrinologist and chairman, Fortis C-Doc.?
According to Dr. Misra, mixing energy drinks with alcohol can be doubly dangerous.
11/14/2015 | | Permalink