WASHINGTON: Excessive consumption of energy drinks can trigger sudden cardiac deaths in young, apparently healthy individuals, scientists have warned.
The rapid rise in popularity of energy drinks (EDs), particularly among adolescents (aged 10-19 years) and young adults, has serious implications for cardiac health, researchers said.
An international research team led by Fabian Sanchis-Gomar, of the Research Institute of Hospital 12 de Octubre Madrid, Spain, noted that EDs can trigger sudden cardiac deaths in young, apparently healthy individuals.
For persons with underlying heart diseases, the risk of triggering sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) or other arrhythmias can be significant.
Even atrial fibrillation (AF), normally uncommon in children without structural heart disease, has been observed in a 13-year-old adolescent boy during a soccer training session after ingesting EDs.
It is estimated that 31 per cent of 12- to 19-year-old adolescents regularly consume EDs. These beverages often contain high amounts of labeled caffeine.
However, they can contain “masked” caffeine, in the form of guarana, for example, which comes from a Brazilian plant and is identical to caffeine found in coffee beans, but at twice the concentration.
The addition of guarana and other substances such as ginseng and taurine in variable quantities may generate uncertain interactions.
Although caffeine is widely used and generally regarded as safe, serious adverse effects have been reported, especially when consumed in larger doses.
With a range of readily available sources, such as EDs, gums, inhalers, and orodispersable sheets, adolescents and young adults can easily overdose, researchers said.
It is estimated that as many as 46 per cent of the 5,448 caffeine overdoses reported in the US in 2007 occurred in adolescents younger than 19 years.
The researchers cautioned that one can (250 ml) of an ED per day is safe for most healthy adolescents but ED consumption before or during sports practice should be avoided.
Adolescents with clinically relevant underlying medical conditions should consult cardiologists before drinking EDs.
Researchers also warned that excessive ED consumption together with alcohol or other drugs, or both, may lead to adverse effects, including death.
The research was published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology. -PTI
