Energy drinks come in a variety of brands and their main ingredients are usually caffeine and sugar. Marketing efforts claim that drinking energy drinks gives you not only extra energy, but also increased alertness, and improved mental and physical performance. If you have high blood pressure or heart disease, you should avoid energy drinks because they can raise your blood pressure and can even alter the effectiveness of your medications, according to a study conducted at Wayne State University in 2007.
Ingredients
The caffeine in a single energy beverage might not be considered excessive, but drinking two or more beverages a day will result in excessive caffeine intake. Combined with other stimulant ingredients, such as guarana, ginseng, carnitine, inositol, citramax, taurine and yohimbine, the effects of caffeine are enhanced. One gram of guarana contains nearly 40 mg caffeine, according to Karrie Heneman, Ph.D., and may substantially increase the total caffeine in an energy drink. High levels of caffeine and taurine have negative effects on heart function and blood pressure, says James Kalus, Pharm.D., who led the Wayne University study.
Caffeine
Caffeine has a sympathomimetic effect on your heart, meaning it increases your heart rate, according to cardiologist Dr. Armughan Riaz of Rutgers University. Caffeine consumption in excess of 400 mg per day can cause a number of adverse side effects, such as nervousness, irritability, increased blood pressure and insomnia. Increasing your heart rate and blood pressure when consuming large amounts of caffeine can also trigger abnormal heart rhythms, which is especially dangerous if you have any type of heart disease, says Riaz.
Blood Pressure
In an experiment led by Kalus, blood pressure increased in healthy adults who drank two cans of energy drinks per day for five days. Blood pressure and heart rate were monitored one, two, three and four hours after consumption. Results showed that the caffeine in energy drinks causes a sudden increase in your blood pressure. When blood pressure and heart rate were monitored on day seven, it was still elevated compared to original readings. Kalus says that people with high blood pressure and heart disease should avoid energy drinks.
Adolescents and Children
A recent survey of 78 youth, aged 11 to 18, found that 42.3 percent of participants consumed energy drinks, according to Heneman. Furthermore, she says caffeine consumption has been associated with an increase in blood pressure in adolescents, and based on the data regarding safety, it is not recommended that children or adolescents consume energy drinks.
References
- University of California; Nutrition and Health Info Sheet for Professionals; Some Facts About Energy Drinks; Karrie Heneman, Ph.D.; 2007
- Rutgers; Energy Drinks: The Truth Behind the Boost; Zaira Ahmad, M.S., et al.; July 2009
- Heart Clinic; Energy Drinks Elevate Blood Pressure; Armughan Riaz, M.D.;
- ScienceDaily; Energy Drinks May Pose Risks For People With High Blood Pressure; James Kalus, et al.; Nov 2007
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