Lately more and more supply various types of energy drinks with flavors and packaging that claimed to restore energy after a day of activities or maintain endurance. But this is contrary to the recent study by US researchers revealed that energy drinks may adversely affect the heart rhythm and blood pressure.
The conclusion was obtained after investigators to review seven studies that looked at a variety of heart conditions after consumption of energy drinks. From there, researchers found that high consumption of caffeinated beverages and contain other stimulants like taurine that can increase blood pressure and increase a person's risk for heart rhythm disorders.
Even researchers emphasize the evidence behind the 'ability' energy drinks to increase blood pressure 'so convincing at the same time alarming. Because they found that energy drinks can increase systolic blood pressure (blood pressure during contraction of the heart muscle) those who drink up as much as 3.5 points.
Not only that, taking one to three cans of energy drinks also prolong the heart's electrical cycle phase is called the 'QT interval' of up to 10 milliseconds. Though a long QT interval has long been known as one sign of a person at high risk of heart rhythm problems that can be fatal. This condition is commonly called Long QT Syndrome.
"The doctors usually immediately worry if the patient is known QT interval increased by 30 milliseconds. Which is why we say if the correlation between energy drinks and increased systolic blood pressure was so worried, though still much further study is needed to ascertain the impact of this on rhythm heart. For those patients with hypertension or high blood pressure, and long QT syndrome should be careful before taking an energy drink, "said one researcher, Professor Sachin Shah from the University of the Pacific, California.
"Let these two patients, people who suffer from any health problems or older people have the same risk of getting side effects related to heart health from energy drinks," he said as quoted from the Telegraph, Saturday (03/23/2013).
Nevertheless Shah admitted that these findings still need further study because the data used in this study is inadequate.
Moreover, previous studies revealed the high number of patients who entered the ER due to the consumption of energy drinks is largely based on the fact that many young people who combine energy drinks with alcohol so that potential side effects are manyfold. The side effects of energy drinks on the health of the heart itself is not widely studied.