The indiscriminate use of energy drinks can have serious consequences. A report published in the British Medical Journal shows the impact of excessive consumption of these products on health, which can lead to irreversible heart damage.
This is what happened to a 21-year-old man who was studied after experiencing great difficulty breathing. The man had regularly drunk four cans of this type every day for about two years. Researchers have concluded that the case demonstrates the relationship between the consumption of energy drinks and the risk of heart failure.
This research adds to a good number of scientific publications that, in recent years, have warned of the possible heart damage that excessive consumption of this type of product can cause.
The young man in question ended up in intensive care after spending four months with a growing difficulty breathing, both when he was making efforts and when he was lying down. The man also recorded a significant weight loss.
As explained in the publication, this young man had usually drunk, for two years, an average of four cans of 500 ml of energy drink a day. Each can contains 160 mg of caffeine and other ingredients.
Symptoms of heart and kidney failure
The affected person had also had episodes of indigestion, tremors, and palpitations in the past, although at the time he had not sought medical help. However, in the three months before he was admitted to the hospital, he was forced to interrupt his university studies because he felt very bad and lethargic.
Blood tests, scans, and electrocardiograms performed revealed that he had heart and kidney failure, severe enough to justify his consideration for a double organ transplant.
While he likely still needs a kidney transplant due to an unrelated condition, his symptoms and heart function improved significantly with drug treatment and after he stopped consuming energy drinks completely. “However, it is difficult to predict the clinical course of recovery or the possibility of relapse,” the study authors caution.
Although the study is based on a single case, experts say there have been similar ones. In addition, there are several review articles, which have highlighted growing concerns about possible damage to the cardiovascular system of energy drinks, the authors note.
Overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system can be a factor; energy drinks are also known to raise blood pressure and can trigger abnormalities in the heart rate.
Clear warnings should be provided about the potential cardiovascular dangers of the consumption of energy drinks in large quantities, they conclude.