The
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION (AHA) recently announced
that energy drinks can dangerously affect heart function and blood
pressure.
This announcement was made at the American Heart Association’s
Scientific Sessions and came as quite a surprise to researchers.
The AHA report was based on clinical studies that demonstrated
“Blood pressure and heart rate levels increased in healthy
adults who drank two cans a day of a popular energy drink containing
Taurine and caffeine.”
Clinical
trials involving energy drinks have shown that caffeine/Taurine
beverages can be dangerous to patients with heart disease, and
that drinking more than two cans a day can lead to higher risk
increases, even in healthy people (1). The researchers advised
people with high blood pressure and heart rate to "avoid
these drinks". The dangerous cocktail of Taurine and caffeine
was proven to cause pressure-induced bradycardia which induced
changes in heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure.
In double-blind
placebo trials, the strictest and most accurate form of clinical
trials, Red Bull was proven to cause “significant decline
in heart rate and an increase in mean arterial blood pressure
(2).” Red Bull contains Taurine. |
