Popular Energy Drinks Like Red Bull Can Cause Cardiac Complications
November 7, 2007 by Kendra James, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Put that Red Bull down… and the can of Rock Star as well! The “high energy” drinks are not so hot for your heart. This isn’t brain surgery, caffeine raises the ol’ blood pressure thus cardiac issues.
Shortly after consumption, your systolic rate increases by over 7.5% and diastolic raises 7% and heart rate is up 7-10 beats per minute. And why is this? Here ya go…
Most energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine and taurine, an amino acid also found in protein-containing foods such as meats and fish. Both have had effects on heart function and blood pressure in some studies. In contrast, “sports drinks” in general contain various mixtures of water, sugars and salts alone, without chemicals aimed at increasing “energy” or alertness.
The study also concluded that the effectiveness of medication could also be decreased. That’s not good! Don’t even get me started on the whole Red Bull and Vodka thing! Haha.
via Science Daily
