Energy drinks cause heart failure

Question

Regularly drinking energy drinks will lead to heart failure and they should be avoided at all costs.

Comments

With the original content creator being a doctor and a professional in the field being discussed, this doesn't have to mean that energy drinks are the direct cause of heart problems among all people. Everyone's anatomy varies and in addition to the claim made by Medical News Today (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/energy-drink-heart-attack#outlook) and their outlook on the claim, a person's risk varies when they consume these drinks and could cause the heart and body to react differing ways. Yes, energy drinks may further the damage of a heart to a person but it doesn't have to be the leading/direct cause; it could just be a potential factor.

Answer 1

While their may be some truth to energy drinks causing heart issues, saying they lead heart failure alone is a bit of a stretch. Even though the original post was made by a nurse with background information on the subject, she didn't present any evidence as far as numbers of patients with heart issues. She just went in-depth on the ingredients in big-named brand energy drinks and offered alternative forms of caffeine that are much better for your health. In an article by Medical News Today, it is stated that energy drinks can be a contributing factor to high blood pressure or irregular heart beats. Although, it does state that energy drinks alone are unlikley to cause a heart attack without other significant factors. They may contribute to factors that could lead to issues down the line, but consuming the drink will not likely cause any significant damage to your health. This post overall does provide a good warning to the public but is a little misleading. Energy drinks can be a factor that causes heart issues but the drinks themselves aren't the only factor. 

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/energy-drink-heart-attack#can-they-cause-a-heart-attack

Answer 2

I find this claim to be exaggerated and misleading. While energy drinks are unhealthy to consume daily, it doesn't mean they will surely lead to heart failure. According to Medical News Today, energy drinks can affect the heart by raising blood pressure, disrupting the heart's electrical system, and can cause diabetes. There has been at least one report in the United States of heart failure due to excessive energy drink consumption. Even though energy drinks can lead to these factors, depending on your overall health and genetics you won't 100% get heart failure from energy drinks. 

Answer 3

Even though this claim has some truth, it is exaggerated and misleading.

Many energy drinks on the market contain high amounts of caffeine, taurine, guarana, or L-carnitine. These substances are largely unknown to the public and severely undertested. Excessive intake of these substances has been found to have adverse effects on the cardiovascular system, with reports of seizures and arrhythmias. However, the claim that energy drinks lead to heart failure is a rare case. There has only been one reported incident of this happening, and this young man had been consuming four cans of energy drinks daily for two years. At the end of the day, it is all about moderation and not overconsuming these kinds of beverages because it can lead to negative health effects. This claim is just exaggerated and misleading in order to make a point.

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5714807/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/energy-drink-heart-attack#outlook

https://www.bmj.com/company/newsroom/heavy-energy-drink-consumption-linked-to-heart-failure-in-a-young-man/

Answer 4

While drinking energy drinks could lead to heart failure, it doesn't mean that they will lead to heart failure. The video this claim was made about was showing different energy drinks and their possible consequences, but it doesn't say anywhere that drinking these energy drinks will inevitably lead to heart failure, making this claim exaggerated. 

Comments

Do you have any sources to support your fact-check? Please always include them within your explanation. Thanks!

Answer 5

This claim is not untrue, but it is not confirmed. Regularly drinking energy drinks can have serious health implications, including an increased risk of heart failure. Several case reports and studies have highlighted the potential cardiovascular harms associated with excessive energy drink consumption. For example, a report published in BMJ Case Reports described a 21-year-old who developed heart and kidney failure after consuming four 500ml cans of energy drinks daily for around two years. Another case report discussed a 24-year-old man who developed chronic heart failure after consuming 8 to 10 cans of energy drinks per day. These cases suggest a link between energy drink consumption and heart issues. A review of current literature on energy drinks and cardiovascular disease indicated that these beverages can lead to cardiac arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, aortic dissection, and even death.

https://www.bmj.com/company/newsroom/heavy-energy-drink-consumption-linked-to-heart-failure-in-a-young-man/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9108477/

Answer 6

There was no information provided regarding the specific brands of energy drinks or the ingredients that may be the cause of heart failure, despite the fact that this claim has some merit. I read that there is a connection between energy drinks and heart failure in a BMJ Case Reports article. The 21-year-old patient they used to bolster this evidence, however, had been consuming four 500ml cans of energy drink per day for the previous two years. This assertion is false since this is not the typical rate of consumption for almost any type of energy drink.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/energy-drink-heart-attack

https://www.euractiv.com/section/health-consumers/news/poland-bans-sale-of-energy-drinks-to-minors-as-producers-look-for-ways-around-it/

Answer 7

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katiecamero/tiktok-energy-drinks-heart-problems

Energy drinks are flavored drinks that contain varing amounts of caffeine as well as other undisclosed concentrations of additives. Energy drinks have known health risks, particularay when consumed in large quantities combined with alcohol. These drinks are linked to problems like artery disease. Estimates show that a third amount of people between 12 and 17 consume enegy drinks on a regular basis 1,500 teens landed in the ER becuase of them. Overall consuming anything in excess, especially energy drinks is never a good thing

Comments

How would you rate the claim? True, false, misleading? Always select a rating when submitting a fact-check. Thanks!

Answer 8

This fact-check is exaggerated. Many energy drinks that are on the market contain ingredients that are primarily linked to heart disease. It is universally known that energy drinks are not the best for you. However, it is not 100% guaranteed that if you drink energy drinks regularly, you will have heart failure. I linked an article that provides more information on this topic.

https://www.texashealth.org/areyouawellbeing/Heart-Health/Can-Energy-Drink-Consumption-Cause-Major-Heart-Issues

Answer 9

I would say this Tiktok and claim about energy drinks causing heart failure is misleading. I think this is misleading because there are multiple explanations and reasons for someone to have heart failure that are not due to energ drinks. During a case study of a 24-year-old, the National Institutes of Health discovered a possible connection between high energy drink usage and cardiovascular problems. Because of this study the National Institues of Health recommend to not consume more than 400 mg of caffeine a day. Even though Redbull isn’t illegal in Europe, some nations limit sales to underage customers due to these claims about caffeine. Reactions to these claims on social media sites such as TikTok show the need of researching more. Energy drinks can be dangerous for some people to consume, however, generalizations like these are false. Heart failure and BMJ Case Reports are linked, but the key is severe consumption patterns. 

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/energy-drink-heart-attack

https://fas.usda.gov/data/poland-ban-sale-energy-drinks-people-under-18

Answer 10

Although the orginal user of the account that posted this on Tik Tok is a nurse and they may know some information we don't. They never cite any outside sources and go simply off there word. I undertsand that energy drinks aren't good for you I don't think they can solely be the blame fore heart problems. Medical news today made a post talking about how energy drinks contain large quantities of caffeine that can harm the heart over time it never specifies them as the sole reason for heart failure. I don't think this claim was intending to be harmful or negligent but I do think it ended up spreading misleading information.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/energy-drink-heart-attack