Are Energy Drinks Bad for Your Heart? A Dietitian Answers.

Are energy drinks bad for you? A Keck Medicine of USC dietitian advises.

Is America facing an energy crisis? Judging by the energy drink shelves at the typical supermarket, it sure shouldn’t be. Never before have we had more options on hand: more flavors, more energizing ingredients, more promises that this drink will deliver the vitality we need.

But given a spate of alarming incidents linking energy drinks to adverse cardiovascular events ranging from heart palpitations to cardiac arrest, it’s worth asking: Can we feel safe fueling on energy drinks to our heart’s content?

Jong Kwan (Kevin) Park, RDN, a clinical dietitian with Keck Medicine of USC who also practices at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, brings us up to speed on the concerns.

Energy drinks and caffeine

The energy drink market is huge — and growing — and it wouldn’t have reached such scale if its products were all dangerous. Besides, what modern human couldn’t use a “battery recharge” every so often?

“The main thing consumers want from these drinks is that quick boost in energy,” Park observes. And while energy drinks can boast vitamins, taurine and other buzzy ingredients, “The key ingredient that supplies that boost,” Park continues, “is caffeine.”

Why? Because it works. As Park explains, “It blocks a receptor in our brain, and by doing that it gives us that feeling of increased energy. It just basically makes us less tired.”

Caffeine also offers what Park describes as a “temporary boost in mental focus or alertness” that can come in handy for e-gamers, athletes and individuals whose jobs demand sharpness and skill.

How many energy drinks is too many?

Unfortunately, the same caffeine responsible for an energy drink’s perks is also to blame for most of the cardiac concerns associated with the products. As Park points out, the danger is in the dose.

FDA has established 400 milligrams of caffeine as the maximum dose daily where most adults won’t experience negative effects. “And for reference,” Park says, “a typical eight-ounce coffee contains around 90 milligrams.”

But this max applies mainly to healthy adults — not to young children, pregnant/lactating women, the elderly or those managing heart health conditions. For heart patients in particular, Park says, “most can consume small amounts of caffeine, but in general it should be avoided.” And he recommends consulting a health care professional beforehand.

Considering that caffeine levels in some energy drinks creep above 300 milligrams per serving, he counsels caution.

What are the health risks of drinking too much caffeine?

But what happens when even healthy adults drink copious caffeine?

In the short term, Park explains, “Caffeine will increase heart rate and blood pressure in a way that you might expect with that heightened feeling of energy.”

In the longer term, excess caffeine can perturb heart rhythm, too. Park likens it to what happens when you drive your car erratically: “If you floor the accelerator and then brake really hard just once, you won’t completely destroy your car that first time. But if you continuously do that — creating that disruptive rhythm — it’s going to damage the brakes, the oil, the engine. And that’s like what chronic use of high-caffeine energy drinks can do in your body.”

Energy drink best practices

All of which suggests that energy drinks might not be worth the costs. And for sensitive folks or those already experiencing heart health issues, maybe they’re not. But the rest of us can reap their energy-boosting benefits if we choose wisely. Here are Park’s tips for doing so:

• Buyer beware: FDA regulates energy drinks no differently than it does other foods, beverages and dietary supplements. As a result, Park says, oversight of the category can be “kind of spotty.” However, FDA does monitor adverse events related to energy beverages, and it requires that brands declare a product’s caffeine content on labels if it exceeds 200 milligrams.
• “Natural” isn’t necessarily better: Some brands hype their “natural” sources of caffeine, like guarana, green coffee bean extract and yerba mate. Yet while these sources may seem healthier, they’re still caffeine. “That means they can still increase heart rate, increase blood pressure and create the same side effects as caffeine,” Park cautions. “So that’s something else to look out for, especially for consumers who rely on energy drinks throughout the day.”
• Mind the sugars: A can of Monster can pack 230 calories, Park says, and they come mainly from sugar. Liquid calories are easier to overdo than those you have to chew, and if your energy drink habit leads to weight gain, that can lead to a whole new set of heart-related health challenges, including insulin resistance, diabetes, obesity and even heart failure. “They all connect eventually,” Park says. “So, moderation is key.”
• Put it to the test: If you really want to know what’s in your energy beverage, Park advises picking a product that’s undergone third-party testing. Absent such testing, he says, “There’s no regulatory body approving the accuracy of the label or the safety of its contents.” Not many brands take this extra step, but those that do will proudly promote it on labels with a stamp of approval, such as NSF International’s Certified for Sport seal.

Park follows these tips himself. “Perhaps not surprisingly,” he admits, “I do have an energy drink occasionally. But because I’m aware of the issues, I look at the caffeine dose of each drink and try to buy ones within that 200-milligram range. And I’ll usually stop myself halfway through the drink. Once I feel like I’m not about to slump over my desk anymore, that’s where I’ll draw the line of, ‘I’m good now.’”

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