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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

Do they need to be banned?

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  • I agree they should be banned but it is unlikely to happen, the govt should put restrictions on them rather than stand by & allow them to poison our children.
    When my son was younger he would buy these to keep himself awake for video gaming as well as exams, thankfully he rarely drinks them now he is an adult. As a parent I tried to warn him about the caffeine content & how it can affect their body but it fell on deaf ears. Young adults have the attitude of “it won’t happen to me”.
    Energy drinks are labelled & marketed towards teenagers & young adults & it needs to be stopped. Anyone can buy them but they should be treated the same as alcohol so they have to be 18 to legally buy & consume the drinks.

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  • Young people have energy to spare why would they need them?

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  • it is interesting if you see from a science view what it does to your blood vessels.

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  • Yes they need to be banned, people have no idea how dangerous they are, and are stupid to continue to drink them. I have seen them given to a young child and this is child abuse. If your child dies from an energy drink who will be responsible for the death?

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  • I don’t like those drinks and hope they are banned

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  • Yes please ban them !

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  • I hate seeing young people consume these drinks. It’s a shame that they are somewhat socially acceptable to drink.

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  • These drinks need to be banned

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  • These are much more dangerous than drinking too much coffee which can cause heart palpitations. Some drink them just to stay awake.

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  • Young kids should definitely not be consuming these drinks, and they need to be made harder to buy from the shops.

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  • I’ve never liked the taste of energy drinks, they’re way too sickly for me!

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  • Yes, they should be banned. Past generations have survived without these drinks and it saddens me to see young kids addicted to these drinks as well.

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  • Well this is just tragic news. Something so freely available and something which is paired commonly with alcohol and late nights out. Always knew they were not good for you but the risks should be more widely communicated

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  • Absolutely! We don’t need these drinks on the market!!

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  • They should at least be behind the counter or in bottle shops so only over 18s can buy them. I’ve never liked these drinks, they’ve always been bad news

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