ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers suggest energy drinks may pose risks for people with high blood pressure and heart disease.
James Kalus, senior manager of Patient Care Services at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, and a former Wayne State researcher who led the study said some studies have found most energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine and taurine -- an amino acid that has had effects on heart function and blood pressure. Sports drinks generally contain various mixtures of water, sugars and salts, Kalus said.
In a small study, Wayne State University researchers found energy drinks increased blood pressure by about 7 percent and heart rates by about 11 percent in adults who drank two cans a day of a popular energy drink.
"While the increases didn't reach dangerous levels in the healthy volunteers, the increases in blood pressure and heart rate could prove to be clinically significant in patients with heart disease or in those who consume energy drinks often," Kalus said in a statement. "Individuals with high blood pressure and heart disease should be advised to avoid these drinks."
The findings were presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific sessions in Orlando, Fla.
