From Caribbean 360

A new study has added fuel to the flame of last year’s reports that implicated Monster energy drinks in several cardiac-related deaths, including that of a 14-year-old girl.

CALIFORNIA, United States, Monday December 16, 2013 – A new study has added fuel to the flame of last year’s reports that implicated Monster energy drinks in several cardiac-related deaths, including that of a 14-year-old girl.

According to the latest research, caffeine-loaded energy drinks may change the way the heart beats – and not for the better.

Scientists from Germany’s University of Bonn imaged the hearts of 17 people one-hour after they drank an energy drink, BBC News reports. The drink contained 32 mg per 100 ml of caffeine and 400 mg per 100 ml of the chemical taurine.

The results showed that heart contractions were more forceful after consuming the drink and caused sufficient change to prompt the team to tell the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America that all children and people with certain health conditions should avoid the drinks.

An hour after the German participants drank the energy drink, the chamber of the heart that pumps blood around the body, the left ventricle, was still contracting harder than at the start of the study.

“Until now, we haven’t known exactly what effect these energy drinks have on the function of the heart,” researcher Dr Jonas Dorner said, noting that the amount of caffeine is up to three times higher in energy drinks than in other beverages like coffee and cola.

“There are many side effects known to be associated with a high intake of caffeine, including rapid heart rate, palpitations, rise in blood pressure and, in the most severe cases, seizures or sudden death,” he added.

Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois has asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to consider caffeine limits on energy drinks after emergency room visits involving such products jumped tenfold from 2005 through 2009.

Red Bull, Monster and similar drinks aren’t bound by the FDA guidelines for caffeine in sodas because energy drinks are often sold as “dietary supplements.” Most don’t even list the amount of caffeine in their formulas.

Soda typically is allowed to have as much as 71 milligrams of caffeine per 12 ounces for the FDA to consider it safe. Caffeine in energy drinks often ranges from 160 milligrams to a staggering 500 milligrams per serving.

In comparison, an eight-ounce cup of coffee contains anywhere between 95 and 200 milligrams of caffeine. A 12-ounce can of Coke contains 35 milligrams, and an 8.3-ounce can of Red Bull has 76 milligrams.

As LA Weekly wryly comments: If you want your heart to explode, you know what to do.(BBC News/LA Weekly)

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