JUST one energy drink is all it takes to cause major heart problems, experts have warned.
They found consuming drinks like Red Bull and Monster could narrow your blood vessels.
Narrowing arteries increases the risk of blockages – which cause heart attacks and strokes, shares The Sun.
The new findings echo past studies, which have warned young people to steer clear of the drinks.
Scientists led by Dr John Higgins at the University of Texas in Houston said: “As energy drinks are becoming more and more popular, it is important to study the effects of these drinks on those who frequently drink them and better determine what, if any, is a safe consumption pattern.”
Dr Higgins’s team believe the combination of ingredients in the energy drink is what is potentially damaging drinkers’ blood vessels.
They singled out caffeine, taurine, sugar and other herbal ingredients – warning they damage the lining of arteries and veins.
Energy drinks typically contain 80mg of caffeine per 100ml – roughly the same as three cans of Coke or a cup of instant coffee, the Food Standards Agency states.
But most also contain high levels of sugar, and are often sold in 500ml cans.
Experiments showed just one and a half hours after drinking an energy drink, a person’s blood vessels had narrowed.
Ultrasound measurements revealed before guzzling the drink, a person’s vessel dilation was 5.1 per cent in diameter.
That shrank to just 2.8 per cent afterwards, “suggesting acute impairment in vascular function”, the scientists warned.
All the volunteers taking part in the study were in their 20s, were non-smokers and had no previous health problems.
It’s not the first time energy drinks have been linked to health problems.
The UK proposed banning the sale of energy drinks to anyone under the age of 18 amid concerns the drinks are damaging children’s health. - read more here
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