Cardiovascular and Autonomic Responses to Energy Drinks—Clinical Implications

Abstract

There is an increasing consumption of energy drinks both in the United States and worldwide. The components of these beverages are sometimes unclear but commonly include caffeine, sugars, taurine, and B-vitamins. Young people, particularly those engaged in sports, studying, and in the military are especially likely to be consumers of energy drinks. While limited data are available regarding their autonomic and hemodynamic effects, current literature suggests that energy drink consumption is accompanied by increases in blood pressure, sympathetic drive, and also in QT prolongation. There are no systematic long term studies identifying consequences of frequent energy drink consumption. However, multiple anecdotal reports implicate energy drinks in adverse cardiovascular events including atrial fibrillation, ventricular arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, and sudden death. Events such as atrial fibrillation may even occur in otherwise healthy subjects with structurally normal hearts. It is likely that these cardiovascular outcomes are triggered by the hemodynamic, autonomic, and electrocardiographic responses to energy drink consumption. What remains unclear is how concomitant use of other stimulants such as amphetamines and nicotine may interact to potentiate neural and circulatory responses and cardiovascular consequences when combined with energy drinks.

Effects of Energy Drink Consumption on Physical Performance and Potential Danger of Inordinate Usage

“…According to various reports, EDs can cause all kinds of arrhythmias, with occurring atrial fibrillation (AF) the most often [ 61 ]. QT prolongation, aortic dissection, myocardial infarctions, acute coronary vasospasm, and sudden death have been also observed in healthy subjects with structurally normal hearts or high-risk cardiovascular patients due to massive quantities of EDs consumption [ 62 , 63 , 64 ]. As a long-term effect, EDs are able to induce morphological changes in the heart muscle.…”

Bibliometric Analysis of Studies on Coffee/Caffeine and Sport

“…Caffeine is an alkaloid compound of xanthine, which is commonly and daily consumed by people and present in different beverages such as tea, coffee, sodas, energy drinks and some medicines [ 9 , 10 , 11 ].…”

Myocardial Infarction in an Adolescent Fontan Patient Who Consumed Energy Drinks on a Daily Basis and Stopped Thromboprophylaxis: A Case Report

“…They have been shown to trigger vasospasm of e.g. coronary arteries increase platelet aggregation and decrease endothelial function and hence may promote thromboembolic complications in those already at risk [7][8][9][10][11].…”