Energy Drink Side Effects: 26-Year-Old Texas Man Has Heart Attack After Drinking Up to 10 Energy Drinks Per Day
A 26-year-old man from Texas had been in good shape until one day he complained of chest pains. The man waited nine hours but finally went to the hospital where it was found he was experiencing a heart attack. And energy drinks may be to blame.
The man told doctors on the day of his heart attack he had between eight to 10 energy drinks. He admitted he has that man almost every day and also smokes a pack of cigarettes each day, LiveScience reported.
According to the case report on the man, it is possible all of the energy drinks he had that day caused a blood clot to form. The clot could have partially blocked a blood vessel near his heart and led to the heart attack.
"Energy drink consumption is a growing health concern due to limited regulation and increasing use, especially in younger demographics," the researchers wrote in the case report. "With substantially higher caffeine content than soft drinks or coffee beverages, as well as [containing] other poorly studied substances, there is significant potential for harm, especially when consumed in large quantities."
After complaining of chest pains and saying his left arm was numb, the man headed to the hospital. When he arrived, he was sweating heavily and told doctors he had vomited before arriving.
Doctors were able to treat the man for a heart attack. He was kept in the hospital for two days before being released. He says he will stop drinking energy drinks and stop smoking.
The case report says, with all the caffeine in his system, crucial blood flow could have been reduced and could have caused the heart attack. It is also possible smoking could have caused his heart attack.
Dr. Robert Ostfeld, a cardiologist and director of the Cardiac Wellness Program at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, cautioned to researchers the man's heart attack was just a single case and it does not prove that energy drinks cause heart attacks.
"Since it is just one case, it is always very hard to know exactly what the cause is," Ostfeld told Live Science. "It is certainly possible that [the heart attack] was related to the energy drink intake, but we could never know that for sure from a single case."
More research is needed to determine the negative effects of energy drinks. The FDA is looking into the data, LiveScience reports.
Ostfeld said, even though there is no exact proof energy drinks caused this man to have a heart attack, he still does not think energy drinks are healthy.
"If you are looking to have a lot of energy, get some sleep and eat a whole-food, plant-based diet," he said.
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