A study appearing in Food and Chemical Toxicology found that certain energy drinks might cause heart damage. Examining over 300 ingredients found in 17 popular energy drinks, researchers looked at the effects these drinks have on the heart. [i]
Why and how the test happened
There has been a lot of research and news coverage about the potential harm that energy drinks cause. Unfortunately, there is little information available about the specific ingredients that might cause long-term damage, though.
To better understand the cause-effect relationship between energy drinks and heart health, the team looked at how the heart cells would be affected by each ingredient contained within energy drinks.
The study authors identified every ingredient contained in 17 commonly available energy drinks on the market today. Ion mobility spectrometry (mass spectrometry) showed each chemical contained in the drinks.
Because it would have been unethical to test on human participants, the researchers tested cells grown in the lab. The heart cells, called cardiomyocytes, were tested in-vitro (outside of the body in a lab setting.)
What the ingredients do to heart cells
Ultimately, energy drinks caused adverse effects on the human heart cells. The most common adverse effects seen from the ingredients were an increased beat rate and QT prolongation within the cells, even at low concentrations.
QT prolongation can potentially cause a person’s heart rhythm to become fast, with chaotic heartbeats. Rapid heartbeats can lead to fainting, and in severe cases, long QT syndrome can cause seizures or death. [ii]
There were a handful of key ingredients that researchers identified as being responsible for the adverse effects on the cardiomyocytes. Theophylline, azelate and adenine are the main ingredients that researchers blamed for the impact on heart cells.
Why it is important
This study paints a grim picture of how energy drinks affect human heart cells outside of the body. The lead researcher, Ivan Rusyn, summarised his team’s findings with a statement:
“This study shows that some of the tested energy drinks may have effects on human cardiomyocytes. Therefore, we hope that the consumers will carefully weigh the performance-enhancing benefits of these beverages versus the emerging data that suggests that they may have real adverse effects.” [iii]
If you would like to know more, you can read the study abstract at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278691521000132.
References:
- Luo Y-S, Chen Z, Blanchette AD, Zhou Y-H, Wright FA, Baker ES, et al. Relationships between constituents of energy drinks and beating parameters in human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-Derived cardiomyocytes. Food and Chemical Toxicology [Internet]. 2021 Mar [cited 2021 Aug 6];149:111979. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278691521000132
- Long QT syndrome – Symptoms and causes [Internet]. Mayo Clinic. ; 2020 [cited 2021 Aug 6]. Available from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/long-qt-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20352518#:~:text=Long%20QT%20syndrome%20(LQTS)%20is,LQTS%20can%20cause%20sudden%20death.
- Energy drinks may damage the heart, researchers warn—should the FDA get involved? [Internet]. Cardiovascular Business. 2021 [cited 2021 Aug 6]. Available from: https://www.cardiovascularbusiness.com/topics/heart-rhythm/energy-drinks-damage-heart-should-fda-get-involved
[i] Luo Y-S, Chen Z, Blanchette AD, Zhou Y-H, Wright FA, Baker ES, et al. Relationships between constituents of energy drinks and beating parameters in human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-Derived cardiomyocytes. Food and Chemical Toxicology [Internet]. 2021 Mar [cited 2021 Aug 6];149:111979. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278691521000132
[ii] Long QT syndrome – Symptoms and causes [Internet]. Mayo Clinic. ; 2020 [cited 2021 Aug 6]. Available from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/long-qt-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20352518#:~:text=Long%20QT%20syndrome%20(LQTS)%20is,LQTS%20can%20cause%20sudden%20death.
[iii] 1.
Energy drinks may damage the heart, researchers warn—should the FDA get involved? [Internet]. Cardiovascular Business. 2021 [cited 2021 Aug 6]. Available from: https://www.cardiovascularbusiness.com/topics/heart-rhythm/energy-drinks-damage-heart-should-fda-get-involved
