Just one energy drink can cause potentially harmful spikes in both stress hormone levels and blood pressure in young, healthy adults, a new study shows.
After drinking a 16-ounce can of "Rockstar Punched," young adults had a 74 percent increase in blood levels of the "fight-or-flight" hormone norepinephrine, said lead researcher Dr. Anna Svatikova, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
The young adults also experienced a significant increase in their blood pressure after consuming the energy drink, the study
found.
"The worry is that if these responses are seen in healthy young people, perhaps the effects of energy drinks may be more
pronounced in people who already have high blood pressure or arrhythmias," leading to more heart attacks and strokes,
Svatikova said.
Energy drinks can contain up to five times more caffeine than a typical cup of coffee, according to the U.S. Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration (SAmHSA).
Emergency room visits involving energy drinks doubled between 2007 and 2011, rising from about 10,000 to nearly 21,000,
SAMHSA said.
Source: nlm.nih.gov
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