Short
course: Energy drinks up blood pressure
Energy drinks up blood pressure
Consuming energy drinks may increase blood
pressure and disturb your heart's natural rhythm, new research led by an
Indian-origin scientist has warned. US researchers analysed data from seven
previously published observational and interventional studies to determine how
consuming energy drinks might impact heart health.
Researchers examined the QT interval of 93
people who had just consumed one to three cans of energy drinks. The QT
interval describes a segment of the heart's rhythm on an electrocardiogram;
when prolonged, it can cause serious irregular heartbeats or sudden cardiac
death. They found that the QT interval was 10 milliseconds longer for those who
had consumed the energy drinks. "Doctors are concerned if patients
experience an additional 30 milliseconds in their QT interval from
baseline," said Sachin A Shah, lead author from the University of the
Pacific in Stockton, California.
The researchers also found that the systolic blood pressure, the top number in a blood pressure reading, increased an
average of 3.5 points in a pool of 132 participants. "The correlation
between energy drinks and increased
systolic blood pressure is convincing
and concerning," Shah said.
26.03.2013
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