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Mayo Clinic News Network
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My husband and son are constantly coming home with an energy drink in hand. I tell them that they are bad for you, but I don’t know enough to make a strong case. What are the effects of energy drinks on the body?
ANSWER: Energy drinks are a multibillion-dollar industry and are the most consumed supplement not under the control of the Food and Drug Administration other than multivitamins. It’s a bit like the “Wild West” in the sense that energy drinks and their stimulating ingredients are under no FDA regulation and are not classified as a food or a drug but as a supplement.
Energy drinks contain ingredients such as caffeine, taurine and guarana that affect the heart, the heart’s electrical system and the heart’s muscular pump. When our bodies react to these chemicals, the heart rate and blood pressure can change. The heart’s recharging of the electrical system can be affected by these chemicals. For most people with a healthy heart, the consumption of an energy drink would have no serious impact on our health. However, if you have a genetic heart condition that predisposes you to sudden cardiac death, exposure to an energy drink may not be as harmless.
People with underlying genetic heart disease or adults with coronary artery disease or weaker heart pumps can be more vulnerable to the chemicals in energy drinks. About one in 200 people have a sudden death-predisposing genetic heart disease, including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, long QT syndrome, arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. A healthy heart can handle caffeine in moderation, but a fragile heart may not be able to.
Consuming up to 400 mg of caffeine a day is safe for most adults — some energy drinks contain over half this amount in a single can. Depending on the age of your son, he may need to stay under 100 mg of caffeine per day, which is the recommended amount for adolescents ages 12-18.
In addition to heart risk, studies have suggested an increased risk of stroke with energy drink consumption. Long-term exposure to these substances over time affects how the blood vessels and heart react to the chemicals. Our blood vessels that control our blood pressure are reacting to these chemicals, and the potential reason behind stroke risk is the tightening of our blood vessels.
For the 199 out of 200 people who have a healthy heart and who do not have a genetic heart disease, energy drink consumption in moderation is safe. However, you might want to ask yourself: Can you go three days without it? If not, you may be experiencing some dependency on the chemicals in the energy drink. Heavy caffeine consumption can cause physical and psychological dependence, restlessness and insomnia.
Overall, there is very little health value to energy drinks. Listen to your body — Are they making you feel shaky or causing you to experience withdrawals? Can you be satisfied with your morning coffee or tea instead?
There is a lot of room for future research on these beverages. Consuming the wrong thing at the wrong time in the wrong person is a setup for the perfect storm. Caffeine may also interact with a person’s medications. Tell your healthcare team that you are consuming energy drinks and the unregulated supplements they contain, and you can decide together what the right choice is for you. — Michael Ackerman, M.D., Ph.D., Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
