Man, 26, nearly dies of a heart attack triggered by his 10 cans per day energy drink habit
A man nearly died after excessive energy drink consumption triggered a heart attack.
The 26-year-old, who did not suffer from health complications before, went to the emergency room with a pain in his chest and left arm which had lasted 9 hours.
He also said that his left arm felt numb, he had been sick and was sweating, according to a Case Reports article.
Texan doctors carried out the necessary tests and found his blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen levels were all normal.
However, a procedure referred to as cardiac catheterization showed that one of his arteries was blocked, along with other abnormalities.
And that is when the man told doctors of his habit of drinking 8 to 10 cans of energy drinks a day.
He said he is not a drug user but did admit to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day for the last couple of years.
Doctor Daniel Solomin, who co-wrote the report, said:
“The patient stated that he drank any kind of energy drink he could get access to – approximately eight to ten 73ml drinks per day.”
Dr. Solomin’s team believe the man’s excessive habit of energy drink consumption may have caused a blood clot that led to his heart attack.
“The patient stated that he drank any kind of energy drink he could get access to,” he said.
In their case report, they say that large amounts of caffeine may have caused the walls of his coronary artery to suddenly contract.
This had eventually reduced his blood flow to such a degree that a blood clot formed.
The person needed a stent to be placed in the artery in order to improve blood flow and was let go two days later on the basis that he would quit smoking and consuming energy drinks.
Concluding the report Dr. Solomin said:
“Further research into the topic of energy drink toxicity in general, as well as cardiac specific issues, is needed, and although evidence to date is scarce, it is probably prudent to recommend limited consumption of these drinks.”
Past research has found that just one energy drink is sufficient to cause heart problems.
Researchers discovered that drinking the likes of Red Bull and Monster can cause narrowing of a person’s blood vessels, which increases the risk of blockages and ultimately leads to strokes and heart attacks.
An energy drink typically contains 80 milligrams of caffeine per 100 milliliters. This roughly equals three cans of Coke or one cup of instant coffee, the Food Standards Agency states.
However, most energy drinks also contain excessive amounts of sugar and are often sold in 500-milliliter cans or bottles.
Experiments revealed that just one and a half hours after consuming an energy drink, the blood vessels of a person narrowed.
Measurements taken with ultrasound technology revealed that before consumption, a person’s vessel dilatation was 5.1 percent in diameter.
To find out more about the hazards of energy drink consumption, see the video below.
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