Energy drink: the overdose that cripples the heart

A case does not make statistics. And it does not allow to draw conclusions. But it does raise the antennas on the possible risks associated with the abuse of energy drinks. For this reason it is worthwhile to tell what happened to a 22-year-old young man, almost “addicted” to the consumption of these drinks, so much so that he continued undeterred to drink four cans a day for two years. The final outcome of the abuse was hospitalization in intensive care, after months of suffering from heart fatigue, characterized by shortness of breath with exertion, difficulty breathing normally in a lying position and, in addition, weight loss. The unique story is told by Andrew D’Silva, of the Cardiology Department of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in the BMJ Case Reports magazine. The young man’s journey passes through the consumption of four half-liter cans of energy drink every 24 hours for such a long period. There were about 160 milligrams of caffeine plus taurine and other ingredients in each can. In terms of symptoms, of course, the “exhaustion” of the heart did not happen out of the blue, but was preceded by a series of attacks with tremors and palpitations, as well as digestive problems, which the 21-year-old had not considered to report to the doctor. . Then the situation worsened, up to three months prior to hospitalization when clouding of the senses, perception of general malaise and even lethargy appeared. In the hospital, the tests gave a truly dramatic outcome: in addition to heart failure, renal failure was also detected, so much so as to suggest a possible double transplant. On the kidney front, linked to an unrelated condition, the situation is improving but it is still possible that a transplant is needed. As far as heart failure is concerned, drugs and above all total abstention from drinks have made it possible to considerably improve the situation. however, according to the study authors, it is difficult to predict the clinical course of recovery and the risk of relapse. As for the possible mechanisms that would have triggered the picture, several elements come into play. On the one hand we talk about the excessive stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system induced by caffeine, on the other we think about the possible action of energy drinks on the increase in blood pressure and the fact that these can act as a “fuse” for the onset of arrhythmias.

Of course it is not the first time that we talk about phenomena of this type, although obviously reaching a real heart failure in a young person is really a rarity. Just think in this sense a research conducted some time ago by experts from the University of Adelaide, published in the International Journal of Cardiology, which examined people who came to different emergency rooms in the area. Looking at the history of the sick, the experts found that in seven out of ten cases these people had consumed some type of energy drink during their life, but above all they saw that 36 percent of them had taken at least one of these drinks in the twenty-four hours prior to admission. Even some patients had consumed more than five energy drinks, and there were also those who had mixed a large amount of these drinks with alcohol: a mixture really to be avoided. And in a population of 25 healthy adults, the American researchers of the Mayo Clinic compared the action on the body of energy drinks (composition with caffeine 240 milligrams, taurine 2 grams, ginseng, guarana and milk thistle) compared to a placebo, obviously eliminating alcohol and coffee the day before. Half an hour after taking the stimulating drink, the increase in pressure is about 6 percent, but it is above all the growth of norepinephrine (a classic stress hormone) to worry: the increase in the substance would in fact be 73 per cent. cent, regardless of the tense conditions at the time of hiring. In short: the body runs the risk of seeing the number of heartbeats skyrocket, as if you were at an exam or after an effort.