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. |
