“There’s been several cases described of people that have gone into cardiac arrest after consuming more than one energy beverage, and when they’ve done sort of further analysis on these individuals, they haven’t been able to find anything abnormal other than the very high levels of caffeine and taurine in the toxicology,” Higgins said. Bits of guarana, the plant from the Amazon, are commonly added to energy drinks and already contain caffeine, which can increase a drink’s total caffeine amount. Taurine, a common amino acid, can affect the levels of water and minerals in your blood. The impacts that energy drinks may have on your heart and cardiovascular system could be due to how the caffeine interacts with other ingredients, such as the taurine, Higgins said. Your rapidly beating heart could pose a health risk, as “energy drinks not only have been shown to raise stress levels, increase heart rate, increase blood pressure, they’ve also been shown to make the blood a little bit thicker,” Higgins said. ‘Arteries of his heart were completely locked up’Īfter chugging an energy drink, you might notice your heart rate increase. Here’s a look at how certain parts of your body may be affected after guzzling more than the recommended amount of energy drink, according to experts. “As recently as 2015, EFSA again concluded that it is unlikely that energy drink ingredients such as taurine interact adversely with, or enhance the effects of, caffeine.” America’s leading energy drink manufacturers voluntarily go beyond all federal requirements when it comes to responsible labeling and marketing practices, including displaying total caffeine content – from all sources – on their packages,” the statement said. “The fact remains that energy drinks have been extensively studied and confirmed safe for consumption by government safety authorities worldwide including a recent review by the European Food Safety Authority. “Many of the ingredients in energy drinks, such as B vitamins and taurine, are found naturally in many foods,” the statement said. Rachel Hicks, a spokeswoman for the American Beverage Association, issued a statement from the group that said many people around the world have safely consumed energy drinks for more than 25 years. When energy drinks contained real (radioactive) energy “For certain groups, it could be potentially dangerous, like for those under 18, women who are pregnant, people who have a caffeine sensitivity, people who don’t consume caffeine on a regular basis and people who are taking certain medications, like Adderall for attention deficit (disorder).” “People need to be aware of that,” he said.

We really don’t know a lot about them,” Higgins said of energy drinks. With the caffeine, sugar and stimulants, Higgins said that more research is needed to determine how those ingredients could interact to cause negative health effects. Higgins, who has led multiple studies on energy drinks and health impacts, agreed. “Overall, the concern is that these vitamins, amino acids and herbals are often in higher concentrations than naturally in food or plants, and the effects when combined especially with caffeine may be enhanced,” said Katherine Zeratsky, a clinical dietitian at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The amount of caffeine in energy drinks is not currently regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Most energy drinks typically contain large amounts of caffeine added sugars vitamins, such as B vitamins and legal stimulants, such as guarana, a plant that grows in the Amazon taurine, an amino acid that’s naturally found in meat and fish and L-carnitine, a substance in our bodies that helps turn fat into energy. John Higgins, a sports cardiologist with McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. Over the years, concerned experts have been getting closer to answering those questions, said Dr. So what exactly are those ingredients, and how do they impact your body? The American Beverage Association stands by the safety of energy drinks, indicating that many of their ingredients are also found in common foods and have been rigorously studied for safety. Children “should not consume” them, cautions the American Academy of Pediatrics. They “may pose danger to public health,” warns the World Health Organization. Energy drinks may be popular – the global energy drink market was worth $39 billion in 2013 and is forecast to reach $61 billion by 2021 – but they have gotten a bad rep among health experts.

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