After downing an energy drink, what happens in the body is kind of scary

[J_J_]

There’s been a lot of controversy about caffeine-spiked energy drinks in recent years after a spate of deaths and overdoses related to the beverages. In one of the most heartbreaking cases, 14-year-old Anais Fournier of Maryland died after consuming two 24-ounce cans of an energy drink. The Food and Drug Administration has been studying such cases to determine if there’s a causal link and, if so, what to do about it....

Systolic blood pressure (the top number): 6.2 percent increase.

• Diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number): 6.8 percent increase.

• Average blood pressure: 6.4 percent increase.

Writing in JAMA, the researchers said these changes may predispose those who drink a single drink to increased cardiovascular risk.

This may explain why a number of those who died after consuming energy drinks appeared to have had heart attacks.

http://www.adn.com/article/20151112/after-downing-energy-drink-what-happens-body-kind-scary

Anyone else notice how many young people are dying of 'natural' causes these days with no real explanation?

[DirkGently]

1. If they all taste like Red Bull

... the nation's youth is safe. They came to work the other day and gave the stuff away, so I choked one down.

My heart felt fine, but swallowing however many ounces of Children's Coricidin-flavored goop nearly did me in.

[shanti]

17. agreed

red bull is some nasty shit, i can't imagine what the DIET red bull tastes like...maybe it's better with some vodka in it, i dunno, lol.

[louis-t]

2. It's not just heart attacks.

Atrial fibrillation is also on the rise in young people who consume this crap. This can lead to stroke.

[Gregorian]

3. Not to mention how these processed drinks contribute to endochrine dysfunction.

Gaining weight is only a symptom. Alterations in circadian rhythm is one of the biggest epidemics in the modernized world, which is only now just getting recognition.

[erpowers]

15. Circadian Rhythm

The only problem with circadian rhythm getting recognition is that it seems some are trying to treat it with medication and not telling kids and others to change their eating habits and lifestyles. I saw an ad promoting a drug that could correct the circadian rhythm. The person in the ad was supposedly blind and that was the cause of the disruption of their circadian rhythm; however, how many people will see that ad, realize they have the same symptoms, and then ask to be given the same drug.

[randome]

4. A nation of addicts. If it's not drugs, it's food. If it's not food, it's energy drinks.

Such a waste.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]You have to play the game to find out why you're playing the game. -Existenz[/center][/font][hr]

[hobbit709]

5. No different than eating half a dozen caffeine pills at once.

[backscatter712]

6. I'll read this story over a strong cup of coffee... n/t

[Prism]

7. The magnesium flush freaked me out

Last year, I was shopping around a Grocery Outlet and noticed they had a 5-Hour Energy knock off for a buck. I had been dragging ass that day and had a birthday party later in the evening. I thought, sure, why not. It was mostly B vitamins and magnesium.

Fast forward to sitting in the car in the parking lot wondering if I was having an anxiety attack.

Urph. Never again.

[bhikkhu]

8. I used to take a 5hour energy drink before every hard bike ride

training or racing, back when I was pursuing that regularly. It worked great for awhile, I could be tired from work or just a little foggy, but a little ways in there was a focus and an energy reserve that kicked in and stayed as long as I needed it, just an extra edge.

But then it stopped working after a couple years - I'd be into a ride and things would just stop working like the taps shut off, or like what athletes call "the bonk". like a physical distress or dysfunction, fairly miserable. One race I'd trained for well, rested and tapered perfectly, but an hour into it (after my regular 5 hour energy) I had nothing. As I struggled along, far weaker than I knew I really was, I recalled feeling similar in a time trial three weeks before, and at points on training runs that month...eventually I figured out it was a reaction to the drink itself and nothing else, it just didn't work anymore. I stopped using it and never had that same problem or feeling again.

Perhaps its unique to every metabolism, but I can say without much doubt that I got somehow conditioned or sensitized to the energy drink and it worked the opposite of how it was supposed to. I know the ingredients are supposed to be fairly benign (always looked into that sort of thing), but the side effects were bad enough I'd never use or recommend energy drinks again.

[KamaAina]

9. Like Jimmy Carter's grandson?

[KamaAina]

10. Rockstar is the worst of all

it not only raises your blood pressure, but Savage Weiner's family owns it, so that he can go on raising everyone else's.

[Brickbat]

11. Lots of young guys hopped up on this crap working in construction and transportation.

[Blue_In_AK]

12. Someone died up here just a couple weeks ago

from energy drinks. I won't touch the stuff.

[Phentex]

13. Yes, you seem to hear about this more now...

but I am not sure I made the connection until your post.

[rufus dog]

14. In 2007 we rented out a nice bar in Las Vegas

We had an event for potential clients and had a case of Red Bull. To her credit, a waitress came over to me and said she would not be mixing any Red Bull and Vodka drinks. I asked her why and she said every weekend some old guy has too many and ends up with chest pains. I had only drank one Red Bull at the time and rembered the flush/rush, and thanked her for the advice.

[Butterbean]

16. My sister is an ER nurse and she sees admissions all the time due to these drinks. n/t

[louis-t]

18. When I had A-Fib, there was a young bodybuilder

in the bed next to mine with the same thing. I got zapped and was back in action, he had to stay there until the crap in the energy drink was out of his system. The ER nurse said I was the 9th person that day to come in with it. It was 9 am.