The American Heart Associating in a study carried out recently, has said that consuming just one energy drink may be detrimental to blood vessel function.
The study, according to medicalnewstoday.com, tested blood vessel function in non-smoking, young, healthy adults and found that the participants had significantly diminished blood vessel function soon after consuming just the one energy drink.
Consumption of these drinks has previously been associated with adverse health effects including conditions related to the nerves, heart, and stomach. Some researchers think adverse effects on the cardiovascular system may be associated with the effects the drinks have on endothelial function.
To investigate, John Higgins from the University of Texas Health Science Centre at Houston and colleagues recruited 44 healthy, non-smoking individuals, all in their 20s and tested their endothelial function before they had consumed an energy drink. They then gave the participants a 24-ounce energy drink and tested the endothelial function again 90 minutes after they had taken it.
The team checked the participants’ artery flow-mediated dilation, a measurement that indicates the overall health of blood vessels. Before the drink was consumed, the blood vessel dilation was an average of 5.1 per cent in diameter, but after the drink had been consumed, this measurement fell to 2.8 per cent, which indicated acute impairment of endothelial function.