Posted on 02/11/2021
2 min read
Consumed to improve physical and mental performance, especially in the evenings, energy drinks do not only have health benefits, far from it. A new American study points to their harmful effects on the heart, stating that they could be the cause of serious heart disease.
Researchers at Texas A&M University looked at energy drinks, with global sales estimated at $ 53 billion in 2018, to determine potential health risks for consumers. They evaluated 17 over-the-counter brands and exposed them to cardiomyocytes, human heart cells grown in the lab. They then studied the composition of the drinks to find out which ingredients could be the most harmful to your health.
Published in the scientific journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, their work found that cardiomyocytes exposed to certain energy drinks – not to be confused with energy drinks – were subjected to increased heart rates, as well as other factors affecting heart function. That’s not all, since the researchers specify that these drinks, this time studied in the context of the human body, were at the origin of “inappropriate heartbeat“, cardiomyopathy, and increased blood pressure.
“Because the consumption of these drinks is unregulated and widely available over the counter to all age groups, their potential adverse health effects are a matter of concern that requires further research. Consuming energy drinks has been linked to a wide range of adverse human health effects, many of which involve the heart“, comments Dr Ivan Rusyn, who led this study.
While they have identified certain ingredients that can be particularly harmful for heart function, the researchers believe that more research is now needed to confirm – or not – that their consumption is not dangerous, especially for those who present pre-existing health problems.
Note that the researchers do not at any time discuss the degree of consumption of these drinks. Several previous studies have reported harmful effects in the event of excessive consumption of energy drinks; low to moderate consumption presenting little or no danger. A factor that will therefore also have to be determined in the future.
“We hope that the Food and Drug Administration will give careful consideration to a review of these drinks for possible labeling about their adverse health effects, and that they should be discouraged for certain age groups and larger subpopulations. sensitive“, concludes the researcher.
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