ENERGY DRINKS ARE TICKING TIME BOMBS!
ENERGY drinks may be hazardous to your health! They might give you a boost, but experts warn their cocktail of ingredients can carry serious health risks.
Those ingredients typically include hefty doses of caffeine, sugars, vitamins, legal stimulants — such as guarana, a plant that grows in the Amazon — and taurine, an amino acid that’s naturally found in meat and fish.
But researchers aren’t sure how caffeine interacts with other ingredients — and a new study has found energy drinks altered the heart’s electrical
activity and raised blood pressure.
The drinks have also been shown to make the blood a little bit thicker, and chugging too many can lead to caffeine intoxication, which can cause insomnia, anxiety, muscle twitching and restlessness, experts say.
What’s more, people who take certain medications, like Adderall for attention-deficit disorder, or have a specific type of heart condition, could be at increased risk of a fatal arrhythmia, cardiac arrest or irregular heartbeat.
Also at risk are those under 18, pregnant women, people with a caffeine sensitivity and folks who don’t consume caffeine regularly, experts say.
The American Beverage Association insists energy drinks are safe, noting many of their ingredients are found in everyday foods and have been studied for safety.
But the World Health Organization says the drinks “may pose a danger to public health” — and warns they should never be consumed by children.
Dr. John Higgins, a sports cardiologist with McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, calls energy drinks “sort of a black box. We really don’t know a lot about them.”