Energy drinks and stimulant-containing supplements have now been linked to an increased risk of heart problems, including but not limited to heart attacks and cardiac arrests, especially in young adults. This dreadful news comes courtesy of the American Heart Association. Their study may be new, but it may confirm the brutal truth that many of us have heard before and chosen to sweep aside.
The specific menaces believed to be contributing to declining heart health are caffeine (of course), methylxanthines, guarana, yerba mate, synephrine, yohimbine, etc. The AHA not only kept an eye on their consumption in soft drinks, meal replacement shakes, and smoothies, but also in protein bars, vitamins, etc.
“Cardiac arrest appeared in reports involving caffeine– and stimulant-containing products about 11 times as often as in reports involving products without those ingredients.”
The AHA study in question examined over 28,000 reports of cardiovascular events, as submitted to the FDA. A portion of these reports could have been imperfect, but the mode of analysis was still a decent one overall. Fox News penned:
“Cardiac arrest appeared in reports involving caffeine– and stimulant-containing products about 11 times as often as in reports involving products without those ingredients. Heart attacks were reported about 4.5 times as often, while ventricular arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) or palpitations were reported about four times as often, according to the AHA.”
On the more mild end of the issues arising, we have fainting, chest pain, and elevated heart rate, but such symptoms still shouldn’t be ignored.
About 45% of the heart problems possibly triggered by the dangerous products occurred in those between 18 and 34. One might ask: How is this age group supposed to have the willpower to stop abusing caffeine when their teachers and professors frequently overload them with work, sometimes making sleep an impossibility? Obviously, taking energy drinks at the same time as psych meds or combining them with alcohol can both be very dangerous, and these are the types of pressing facts that students can forget.
Popular Energy Drinks Are Being Linked to Serious Heart Problems in Young Adults, New Research Finds
While the AHA says it’s usually safe for adults to have about five 8-ounce cups of coffee a day, it’s easy to lose track of exactly how much you are drinking. When I make coffee at home, for example, I leave little room for water in my cup. In 2022, a personal trainer named Tom Mansfield tragically passed after miscalculating the amount of caffeine powder he added to his drink, and there are plenty of other similar stories.
Along those lines, the caffeine levels in energy drinks can be obscene. Fox reported last year that emergency room visits associated with energy drinks rose by 890%, with children proving more vulnerable.
As a Diet Coke and coffee addict, I often feel I will have a heart attack if I do not manage to procure those two daily staples. According to the famous Father Chad Ripperger, however, soda addiction is a more grave moral issue than it might initially appear. He has boldly stated that it can open the door to (Gasp!) demonic possession.
If you feel bad about yourself for sharing in my vice, know that great men like Honoré de Balzac could sympathize. The French writer is one of history’s most famous coffee addicts, having consumed up to 50 cups a day. While Balzac ultimately died of gangrene associated with congestive heart failure, some have pointed the blame for his death at coffee.
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