Nottingham, England: Doctors are warning that heavy and prolonged consumption of energy drinks could significantly elevate the risk of heart disease and potentially trigger severe medical events such as strokes.
Energy drinks, widely consumed worldwide, typically contain over 150mg of caffeine per litre, high glucose-based sugar levels, and various additional chemical ingredients. Although non-alcoholic, these beverages are often marketed as performance boosters, leading to high daily intake among certain groups.
Real case study
The alarm was raised after doctors in Nottingham, England, treated an otherwise fit and healthy man in his 50s who suffered a stroke and continues to experience permanent numbness in his hands, fingers, feet, and toes, even eight years later. When questioned, the patient disclosed that he had been drinking an average of eight energy drinks per day.
His case was published in BMJ Case Reports, prompting medical professionals to call for stricter regulations on the sale and advertising of energy drinks.
Upon arriving at the hospital, the man’s blood pressure was measured dangerously high at 254/150mmHg. He was administered medication to bring it down. However, once he returned home, his blood pressure rose again and remained dangerously high, even after doctors increased his medication.
Further evaluation revealed the cause: his daily intake of 1,200mg of caffeine, far exceeding the recommended maximum of 400mg per day. After being instructed to stop consuming energy drinks altogether, his blood pressure returned to normal, and he no longer required medication.
Doctors wrote that it was ‘highly likely’ the patient’s excessive use of strong energy drinks was a contributing factor to his secondary hypertension, which subsequently led to his stroke.
The patient anonymously stated that, “I obviously wasn’t aware of the dangers drinking energy drinks was causing to myself. I have been left with numbness on my left-hand side, hand and fingers, foot and toes, even after eight years.”
Whatever the levels of intake
Medical experts pointed out that public health messaging often highlights the dangers of smoking and alcohol, but rarely addresses the growing consumption of energy drinks.
The report stated that both acute and chronic intake of energy drinks may heighten the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke, and that these effects may be reversible if consumption stops.
They emphasised that while current evidence is not yet definitive, the rising scientific literature, combined with the high death and disability rates associated with stroke and CVD, as well as the well-established harms of sugary drinks, suggests that tighter regulation of energy drink sales and marketing (especially those targeting younger individuals) could help protect public health.
The doctors further advised that healthcare workers should routinely ask about energy drink consumption when treating younger patients who present with strokes or unexplained high blood pressure, as it may be a contributing factor.
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