Energy drinks high in caffeine and taurine can change the way the heart beats, scientists say. Healthy adults who consumed energy drinks had significantly increased heart contraction rates 1 hour later, they found.
“Until now, we haven’t known exactly what effect these energy drinks have on the function of the heart,” said Jonas Dörner of the cardiovascular imaging section at the University of Bonn, Germany, which is led by the study’s principal investigator, Daniel K. Thomas. “There are concerns about the products’ potential adverse side effects on heart function, especially in adolescents and young adults, but there is little or no regulation of energy drink sales,” Thomas said. “Usually energy drinks contain taurine and caffeine as their main pharmacological ingredients,” Dörner added. “The amount of caffeine is up to three times higher than in other caffeinated beverages like coffee or cola. There are many side effects associated with a high intake of caffeine, including rapid heart rate, palpitations, rise in blood pressure,” Dörner said.
For the ongoing study, the researchers used cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure the effect of energy drink consumption on heart function in 18 healthy volunteers, including 15 men and three women, with a mean age of 27.5 years. The study was presented at a meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago, US. PTI
