The
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION (AHA) recently announced that
energy drinks can dangerously affect heart function and
blood pressure.
This announcement was made at the American Heart Association’s
Scientific Sessions and came as quite a surprise to researchers.
The AHA report was based on clinical studies that demonstrated
“Blood pressure and heart rate levels increased in healthy
adults who drank two cans a day of a popular energy
drink containing Taurine and caffeine.”
DANGEROUS COCKTAIL
Clinical trials involving energy drinks have shown that
caffeine/Taurine beverages can be dangerous to patients
with heart disease, and that drinking more than two cans
a day can lead to higher risk increases, even in healthy
people (1).
The researchers advised people with high blood pressure
and heart rate to "avoid these drinks".
The dangerous cocktail of Taurine and caffeine was proven
to cause pressure-induced bradycardia which induced changes
in heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure.
SAFETY OF CAFFEINE
Caffeine is safely consumed in high doses on a daily basis,
by most Americans, in the form of coffee, rendering Starbucks
® one of the most popular beverage-destinations. Globally,
coffee is one of the top-3 most consumed beverages
in the world.
Consumption of
caffeine is known to cause fat-storage, but does not cause
the serious health effects as evidenced in the combination
of caffeine and Taurine.
In double-blind
placebo trials, the strictest and most accurate form
of clinical trials, Red Bull was proven to cause “significant
decline in heart rate and an increase in mean arterial
blood pressure (2).” Red Bull contains both Taurine
(an amino acid) and caffeine.
Caffeine has been
safely consumed in both high and low doses for decades,
and only recently has the combination of caffeine and
Taurine been introduced in functional beverages.
It is clear, from
the scientific evidence, that combinations of caffeine
and Taurine can cause serious potential health effects.
ENERGY
DRINKS JOLT BLOOD PRESSURE
MEDSCAPE, Diabetes & Endocrinology; Energy Drinks
Jolt Blood Pressure (3), reported that energy drinks
containing caffeine and the amino acid Taurine, “can
adversely affect heart function and blood pressure.”
The results prompted
researchers to advise people with hypertension or heart
disease to avoid energy drinks containing caffeine and
Taurine, as they could impact the effectiveness of medication,
as well as their blood pressure.
Top Neurologists have additionally confirmed that the
combination of caffeine and Taurine could cause seizures
in humans. Researchers stated that large consumption of
energy drinks that contain both caffeine and Taurine can
provoke seizures (4). The Neurologists reported that “Once
the patients were abstinent from the energy drinks, no
recurrent seizures were reported.”
EUROPEAN COMMISSION ON FOOD SAFETY
The European
Commission on Food Safety (ECFS) concluded that reasonable
levels of caffeine ingestion are safe in humans, and that
levels of 300 mg/day caffeine, even in pregnant women,
show no evidence of health problems. The EUFS stated,
“Most of the available epidemiological data [on caffeine]
suggest there is no problem if total intake is below 300
mg caffeine/day.”
Regarding Taurine
ingestion in humans, the European Commission on Food
Safety (ECFS) reported that:
| • |
At present, there is insufficient information on
which to set an upper safe level for daily intake
of Taurine. |
| • |
It
may also be necessary to take into consideration,
that absorption of Taurine from beverages may be
more rapid than from a food matrix. |
| • |
Against
this background, the Committee is unable to conclude
that the safety-in-use of Taurine in the concentration
range reported for Taurine in "energy"
drinks has been adequately established. |
| • |
Further
studies would be required to establish an upper
safe level for daily intake of Taurine. |
DRINKS CONTAINING CAFFEINE & TAURINE
According to Wikipedia.org
January 2008, energy drinks that contain both caffeine
and Taurine include Red Bull, Full Throttle, NOS,
Rockstar, Monster, Rip It and SoBe.
Many other energy
drinks contain caffeine and Taurine, so consumers are
encouraged to read the labels to ascertain if the product
contains Taurine combined with caffeine. If in doubt,
contact the manufacturer.
IN CONCLUSION
Alarmed by current
research regarding the combination of caffeine and Taurine,
the news media alerted the public as to the potential
dangers of energy drinks.
MSNBC
and Medical News Today warned people to avoid
consuming beverages that contain caffeine and Taurine.
Though some of
the energy drinks are targeted at athletes, researchers
have also warned against the use of energy drinks
during sports events and/or intense exercise.
As a result, some countries advise against using
energy drinks to quench thirst while playing sports. Researchers
explain that “Blood pressure and heart rate naturally
go up during physical activity, and that this could be
further augmented by energy drinks (Kalus et al)(1).
The bottom line is that caution is recommended in
selecting energy beverages that contain both caffeine
and Taurine, particularly in persons with specific health
profiles, such as cardiovascular, hypertension (blood
pressure), pregnancy, lactating women, children under
age 18, and during sports events.
REFERENCES
& BIBLIOGRAPHIES |
(1) Dr. James Kalus, Leah Steinke, Pharm.D., Vishnuprabha
Dhanapal, Pharm.D., Helen D. Berlie, Pharm.D., David E.
Lanfear, M.D. Henry Ford Hospital.2007
(2) Bichler et al. Univ of Wisconsin. Amino Acids. 2006
Nov;31(4):471-6. A combination of caffeine and taurine
has no effect on short term memory but induces changes
in heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure.
(3)MEDSCAPE,
Diabetes & Endocrinology; Energy Drinks Jolt Blood
Pressure. Nov 2007
(4) Iyadurai
SJ, Chung SS. Epilepsy Behav. 2007 May;10(3):504-8. Epub
2007 Mar 8; New-onset seizures in adults: possible association
with consumption of popular energy drinks.
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