Energy drinks will be among the topics discussed this weekend during the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session and Expo.
That’s because a recent study by Mayo Clinic researchers associated energy drinks with increased resting blood pressure levels in healthy young adults, “thus raising the concern that energy drinks may increase the risk of cardiac events,” the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s EurekAlert reports.
The study participants, between ages 19 to 40, were given either a commercially available energy drink or a placebo drink. Their blood pressure and heart rate were measured beforehand and 30 minutes after.
The participants who drank energy drinks had a “marked” increase in blood pressure compared to those who drank placebo drinks, but the difference was even more notable in participants who didn’t usually drink caffeine. These participants’ blood pressure after an energy drink was more than double the blood pressure of participants who drank placebo drinks.
Lead author Dr. Anna Svatikova told EurekAlert:
“We know that energy drink consumption is widespread and rising among young people. Concerns about the health safety of energy drinks have been raised. We and others have previously shown that energy drinks increase blood pressure. Now we are seeing that for those not used to caffeine, the concern may be even greater. Consumers should use caution when using energy drinks because they may increase the risk of cardiovascular problems, even among young people.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, untreated high blood pressure can lead to health problems such as stroke, heart attack, heart failure and kidney disease.
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