The
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION (AHA) recently announced that energy
drinks can dangerously affect heart function and blood pressure.
This announcement was made at the American Heart Association’s
Scientific Sessions and came as quite a surprise to researchers.
The AHA report was based on clinical studies that demonstrated
“Blood pressure and heart rate levels increased in healthy
adults who drank two cans a day of a popular energy drink
containing Taurine and caffeine.”
DANGEROUS COCKTAIL
Clinical trials involving energy drinks have shown that caffeine/Taurine
beverages can be dangerous to patients with heart disease,
and that drinking more than two cans a day can lead to higher
risk increases, even in healthy people (1).
The researchers advised people with high blood pressure and
heart rate to "avoid these drinks".
The dangerous cocktail of Taurine and caffeine was proven
to cause pressure-induced bradycardia which induced changes
in heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure.
SAFETY OF CAFFEINE
Caffeine is safely consumed in high doses on a daily basis,
by most Americans, in the form of coffee, rendering Starbucks
® one of the most popular beverage-destinations. Globally,
coffee is one of the top-3 most consumed beverages
in the world.
Consumption
of caffeine is known to cause fat-storage, but does not cause
the serious health effects as evidenced in the combination
of caffeine and Taurine.
In
double-blind placebo trials, the strictest and most
accurate form of clinical trials, Red Bull was proven to cause
“significant decline in heart rate and an increase in
mean arterial blood pressure (2).” Red Bull contains
both Taurine (an amino acid) and caffeine.
Caffeine has
been safely consumed in both high and low doses for decades,
and only recently has the combination of caffeine and Taurine
been introduced in functional beverages.
It is clear,
from the scientific evidence, that combinations of caffeine
and Taurine can cause serious potential health effects.
ENERGY DRINKS
JOLT BLOOD PRESSURE
MEDSCAPE, Diabetes & Endocrinology; Energy Drinks
Jolt Blood Pressure (3), reported that energy drinks
containing caffeine and the amino acid Taurine, “can adversely
affect heart function and blood pressure.”
The
results prompted researchers to advise people with hypertension
or heart disease to avoid energy drinks containing caffeine
and Taurine, as they could impact the effectiveness of medication,
as well as their blood pressure.
Top Neurologists have additionally confirmed that the combination
of caffeine and Taurine could cause seizures in humans. Researchers
stated that large consumption of energy drinks that contain
both caffeine and Taurine can provoke seizures (4). The Neurologists
reported that “Once the patients were abstinent from the
energy drinks, no recurrent seizures were reported.”
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
ON FOOD SAFETY
The
European Commission on Food Safety (ECFS) concluded
that reasonable levels of caffeine ingestion are safe in humans,
and that levels of 300 mg/day caffeine, even in pregnant women,
show no evidence of health problems. The EUFS stated, “Most
of the available epidemiological data [on caffeine] suggest
there is no problem if total intake is below 300 mg caffeine/day.”
Regarding
Taurine ingestion in humans, the European Commission on
Food Safety (ECFS) reported that:
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At
present, there is insufficient information on which
to set an upper safe level for daily intake of Taurine.
|
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It
may also be necessary to take into consideration, that
absorption of Taurine from beverages may be more rapid
than from a food matrix. |
| •
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Against
this background, the Committee is unable to conclude
that the safety-in-use of Taurine in the concentration
range reported for Taurine in "energy" drinks
has been adequately established. |
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Further
studies would be required to establish an upper safe
level for daily intake of Taurine. |
DRINKS
CONTAINING CAFFEINE & TAURINE
According
to Wikipedia.org January 2008, energy drinks that
contain both caffeine and Taurine include Red Bull, Full
Throttle, NOS, Rockstar, Monster, Rip It and SoBe.
Many other energy
drinks contain caffeine and Taurine, so consumers are encouraged
to read the labels to ascertain if the product contains Taurine
combined with caffeine. If in doubt, contact the manufacturer.
IN
CONCLUSION
Alarmed by current
research regarding the combination of caffeine and Taurine,
the news media alerted the public as to the potential dangers
of energy drinks.
MSNBC
and Medical News Today warned people to avoid consuming
beverages that contain caffeine and Taurine.
Though
some of the energy drinks are targeted at athletes, researchers
have also warned against the use of energy drinks
during sports events and/or intense exercise.
As a result, some countries advise against using
energy drinks to quench thirst while playing sports. Researchers
explain that “Blood pressure and heart rate naturally
go up during physical activity, and that this could be further
augmented by energy drinks (Kalus et al)(1).
The bottom line is that caution is recommended in
selecting energy beverages that contain both caffeine and
Taurine, particularly in persons with specific health profiles,
such as cardiovascular, hypertension (blood pressure), pregnancy,
lactating women, children under age 18, and during sports
events.
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