Do you drink energy drinks like Red Bull or Monster on a regular basis?

These drinks have made a headway into the Indian market thanks to aggressive marketing strategies. The consumption of energy drinks has increased dramatically in the past few years. Takers for these drinks are particularly adolescents and young adults. Carrying around an energy drink looks ‘cool’ and is the ‘in’ thing. Advertisements claim that energy drinks can boost physical performance and keeps the mind fresh and sharp. These claims are flimsy and the studies that support them are limited. Energy drinks may give you wings, but at what cost?

Initially intended for athletes, the focus of energy drinks has now shifted toward adolescents and young adults. A survey done by NuFFooDS Spectrum (1) says, “The market size of energy drinks in India is estimated at about Rs. 700 crores, growing 20-25% year-on-year.”  They also state- “Increased urbanisation, rising disposable income and growing health consciousness among the Indian youth has increased the demand for non-carbonated drinks called energy drinks. At the same time, long and erratic working hours and the increasing occurrence of social gatherings are driving Indian consumers towards consumption of energy drinks which are primarily classified as non-alcoholic, caffeinated beverages and sports drinks. Over the past few years, the sale of energy drinks has been driven by changing consumer lifestyle and increasing demand for alcohol mixers.”

Have we stopped to think what these energy drinks are doing to our health? And the fact that many of us are not athletes and do not exercise or expend large amounts of energy on physical activity, that warrants these drinks as part of our diet!

Here we look at the impact of these drinks on heart health -

A study conducted by the American Heart Association (2) says that energy drinks are linked to more heart, blood pressure changes than caffeinated drinks alone! According to the Food and Drug Administration, caffeine in doses of less than 400 mg is considered safe. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system. However, energy drinks often consist of not only caffeine but proprietary energy blends and ingredients like taurine, cartinine and ginseng. Drinking about 3 cans of an energy drink causes an additional strain on the heart, making contractions more rapid. This can cause palpitations and weaken the heart when used on a long-term basis. After consuming an energy drink, these contractions can last to an hour.

Other studies have used Magnetic Resonance Imaging to measure heart function after consuming an energy drink. This was tested in 18 healthy participants. The energy drink chosen contained 400 milligrams of taurine and 32 milligrams of caffeine per 100 millilitres of liquid (about 3.4 ounces). Taurine is believed to enhance athletic performance and caffeine is a stimulant especially on the central nervous system. The MRI showed a 6% increase in heart contraction rate. When participants were given a drink with only caffeine there was no significant change (increase) in heart contractions.

The studies on energy drinks and heart health have so far focussed on short term effects and recruited a small number of participants. This was one of the flaws that the American Beverage Association pointed out.

However, researchers conclude that even these small studies have shown the negative effect of energy drinks on heart health. Children, adolescents and those with a heart condition or elevated blood pressure need to be aware of this. These drinks can cause- anxiety, insomnia, gastrointestinal upset, muscle twitching and restlessness. The high amounts of sugar in these drinks come from sucrose, glucose or high fructose corn syrup. They may increase the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The sugar also may reduce the activity, diversity and gene expression of intestinal bacteria resulting in increased risk of obesity and the metabolic syndrome. A can of Red Bull and Monster energy drink contains 11g of sugar per 100 ml of the drink.

Just as youth are taught to abstain from alcohol and are made aware of its negative effects, parents and medical care providers need to warn about energy drinks. They need to be sensitised about what these drinks contain and their effect on health. People should be aware of the adverse effects of combining alcohol with energy drinks since cardiovascular events could be triggered.

References:

1.    http://www.nuffoodsspectrum.in/inner_view_single_details_print.php?page=7&content_type=&vrtcl_panel_nm=&ele_id=NOR_5461f769b85229.98530600
2.    Randomized Controlled Trial of High‐Volume Energy Drink Versus Caffeine Consumption on ECG and Hemodynamic Parameter. Fletcher et. al., https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.116.004448 Journal of the American Heart Association. 2017;6:e004448 Originally published April 26, 2017

With inputs from:

1.    Alsunni AA. Energy Drink Consumption: Beneficial and Adverse Health Effects. International Journal of Health Sciences. 2015;9(4):468-474.
2.    http://www.healthline.com/health-news/energy-drinks-potential-effects-on-heart
3.    http://www.news-medical.net/news/20170428/Heart-health-impact-of-energy-drinks-compared-to-other-caffeinated-beverages.aspx
4.    http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20131202/energy-drinks-affect-heart-mri-scans-show#2
5.    http://www.hangthebankers.com/study-energy-drinks-heart-damage/
6.    http://newsroom.heart.org/news/energy-drinks-linked-to-more-heart-blood-pressure-changes-than-caffeinated-drinks-alone
7.    http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/energy-drinks-heart-1.4087058
8.    http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/energy-drinks-worse-your-heart-caffeine-alone-study-n751686
9.    http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-drink/new-study-do-energy-drinks-affect-your-heart-health