Energy drinks are under scrutiny following research linking their consumption to sudden cardiac arrest.1 The beverages have soared in popularity in recent years among those looking for a quick boost. Energy drinks are the No. 2 most consumed supplement after multivitamins among adolescents and young adults,2 and their market size is expected to reach $90.49 billion in 2028.3
The cocktail of stimulating ingredients in energy drinks, however, could be putting heart health at risk, especially among people with certain genetic heart conditions. According to researchers from the Mayo Clinic, energy drinks may be “arrhythmogenic foods” that increase the risk of sudden cardiac arrest.
Energy Drinks May Increase Risk of Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Cardiac arrest occurs suddenly due to a malfunction in the heart that causes it to stop beating. An electrical signal in the heart may lead to arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, including ventricular fibrillation, which is the No. 1 cause of cardiac arrest. It describes a heartbeat so rapid that the heart trembles instead of pumping blood.4
“Energy drinks can trigger life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias,” researchers wrote in the journal Heart Rhythm. “It has been postulated that the highly stimulating and unregulated ingredients alter heart rate, blood pressure, cardiac contractility, and cardiac repolarization in a potentially proarrhythmic manner.”5
The study involved electronic medical records of all sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) survivors with proven arrhythmias who came to the Mayo Clinic Windland Smith Rice Genetic Heart Rhythm Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, for evaluation. Among 144 SCA survivors with pre-existing genetic heart conditions, seven of them — or 5% — consumed one or more energy drinks around the time the cardiac arrest occurred.
Lead study author Dr. Michael J. Ackerman, Ph.D., genetic cardiologist at Mayo Clinic, explained in a news release:6
“While there seemed to be a temporal relationship between energy drink consumption and the seven patients’ sudden cardiac arrest event, a myriad of potential ‘agitators’ that could have also contributed to a genetic heart disease-associated arrhythmia occurred, like sleep deprivation, dehydration, dieting or extreme fasting, concomitant use of QT-prolonging drugs, or the postpartum period.
As such, unusual consumption of energy drinks most likely combined with other variables to create a ‘perfect storm’ of risk factors, leading to sudden cardiac arrest in these patients.”
That being said, previous studies have linked caffeine and sudden cardiac death. A 16-ounce energy drink may contain 80 milligrams (mg) to 300 mg of caffeine, along with other stimulant ingredients. Panera Bread recently removed caffeinated lemonade from its menu after lawsuits alleged they caused two deaths from cardiac arrest.7
“Although the relative risk is small and the absolute risk of sudden death after consuming an energy drink is even smaller, patients with a known sudden death predisposing genetic heart disease should weigh the risks and benefits of consuming such drinks in the balance,” Ackerman said.8 For people with genetic heart disease, the researchers concluded, “an early warning should be made about the potential risks of these drinks.”9
Hellbound and Down 