Energy drinks may be linked to a life-threatening condition, according to new research.
In a recent study, medical experts have warned that the drinks could possibly trigger something that would require emergency medical treatment - if you're not careful.
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in the US have examined the medical data of 144 patients who underwent emergency treatment following a specific health scare and found a correlation.
Among the 144 patients that the researchers were examining - all of whom had survived a cardiac arrest and required emergency treatment - seven of them were aged between 20 and 42, with six requiring electrical shock treatment, while another required manual resuscitation.
However, all seven of the patients had drank an energy drink prior to their health scare, with three of the patients were regular users of the stuff.
Advert
According to the study, too much of the stuff can potentially disrupt your heart's electrical system, which would increase the chances of abnormal heart rhythms, also known as arrythmia.
This increases the chances of sudden cardiac arrest, which is where the heart stops beating.
Researchers claim that other 'agitators', some of which include dehydration, sleep deprivation, dieting, vaping and more, could have all worked together to cause an increased strain on the heart.
However, the study adds that the paitents had since quit consuming energy drinks.
Advert
The findings of the study were published in the Elsevier journal Heart Rhythm, and though the drinks were not labelled as the direct cause, the researchers believe a warning around 'energy drink consumption is warranted'.
Peter J Schwartz, who is a part of the Centre for Cardiac Arrhythmias of Genetic Origin and Laboratory of Cardiovascular Genetics, in Milan, Italy, published in an accompanying piece: "Critics might say of these findings, 'it's just an association by chance'.
"We, as well as the Mayo Clinic group, are perfectly aware that there is no clear and definitive evidence that energy drinks indeed cause life-threatening arrhythmias and that more data are necessary.
"But we would be remiss if we were not sounding the alarm."
Advert
While 100mg of caffeine can be found in a cup of hot coffee, energy drinks can range anywhere between 80mg to 300mg per can.
Other ingredients are sometimes added in too - like taurine or guarana - which are thought alter aspects of the heart and increase blood pressure.
Dr Michael J Ackerman, a genetic cardiologist at Mayo Clinic and the lead investigator added: "Although the relative risk is small and the absolute risk of sudden death after consuming an energy drink is even smaller, patients with a known sudden death predisposing genetic heart disease should weigh the risks and benefits of consuming such drinks in the balance."
Joshua Nair