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

The claim that drinking energy drinks will lead to heart failure and they should be avoided at all costs is misleading. According to Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons, there was a "study published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, evidence suggests that high levels of caffeine in energy drinks may contribute to cardiac complications, such as arrhythmia." Although high levels of caffeine may lead to heart problems, it is doubtful that it can cause heart failure. In the National Library of Medicine, they published an article about the effects of energy drinks on the cardiovascular system. "Two comprehensive meta-analyses both determined that caffeine is unlikely to promote cardiovascular disease."

https://ctvstexas.com/could-energy-drinks-damage-your-heart/

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

Comments

I really like how you provided very trustworthy sources and you summarized them very well.

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This fact check is done well because it provides research and studies that have been invested into proving this claim. Incorporating direct quotes and providing a study is the kind of evidence needed to prove this claim. The evidence provided reveals there are studies done in order to see the effects of the energy drinks which makes the original claim to be misleading.

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This is a very well done fact check. Your response is short and succinct. You give the reader just enough background to understand the false claim but also not too much to where it becomes overwhelming. You do a great job of sharing the facts and giving great resources so others can do more research if they want! My only critic is to make sure you label your response as misleading, false, satire, etc!

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I thought this was a concise and strong fact check. I liked how you were straight to the point about the article being misleading purely on bold and unsubstantiated claims. I also enjoyed how you linked well-trusted and accredited sources to strengthen your claim.

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This here is a very strong fact check claim because you use your resources well and efficiently to figure out the claim. You summarized your sources well and you used direct quotes from the source as well to help back your claim. Good job here.

Answer 2

While the original poster of the TikTok is a nurse and could have inside information, I think it is a bit of a stretch to blame all energy drinks on heart problems, exclusively. 

It could be argued that certain ingredients found in some energy drinks are key contributors to heart problems, and the act of drinking these beverages regularly is harmful over time.

While I do not think the poster of the video is being negligent or harmful, I do think they are being misleading with an exaggerated claim. 

Energy drinks are typically very high in sugar, the excess consumption of which is a risk factor for heart disease. These drinks also contain large volumes of caffeine and poorly studied ingredients such as ginseng and guarana. Together, these ingredients may damage the heart, especially over time. There is no evidence that a single energy drink, or even a few energy drinks, can trigger a heart attack in a person without any health issues. But prolonged use of energy drinks in large quantities, especially in those with underlying risk factors, such as diabetes, could contribute to heart attacks and other types of heart disease, such as heart failure.

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

Comments

This is a really good fact check. I like hoe you included that its not necessiarly false but more exaggerated. The source that you used to back up your factcheck is trustworthy.

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Great fact check! I like that you considered the perspective and possible intentions of the person who made the post, and that you included a quote from a medical source. I would be interested to hear what the NIH or the American Heart Association has to say about this topic.

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I like how unbiased your fact check is. However, I think it would be interesting if you offered sources that spoke about how energy drinks cause heart issues. Overall, good fact check.

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Great fact check. I like that you add detail on why Energy drinks can't be the single cause for heart diseases and there has to be underlying factors as well . Good fact check!

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Your fact check is very well done, and I agree that the original claim is misleading. Although energy drinks can definitely contribute to heart damage over long periods of time, it would be inaccurate to define it as the only leading cause.
I recommend adding another source that highlights the idea that it is unrealistic to blame energy drinks on all heart problems.  
Other than that, nice job adding a source to showcase the harmful effects of energy drinks. I like that your fact check acknowledges the negative impact of the drinks while also emphasizing that the claim is misleading.

Answer 3

The National Institutes of Health examined a case study of a 24-year-old man who drank 8 to 10 energy drinks a day for two weeks. This led to the man being admitted to the emergency room. In their conclusion, they said there could be a possible link between cardiovascular events and energy drinks but the overall research on energy drinks needs to be further researched. They say nothing about avoiding drinking energy drinks at all costs. They do say the maximum amount of caffeine a person should drink daily is 400 mg/d, and anything more than that is considered lethal and toxic. 

The TikTok video, claims that Redbull is banned in Europe, which is false. In an article from the National Institutes of Health, they claim in France Redbull was banned, but it was reversed when they lacked substantial evidence of toxicity. However, the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service states that Poland banned the selling of energy drinks to minors.  in an article written on January 16, 2024, by Euractiv, they state Lithuania and Latvia were the first EU members to ban the ban selling energy drinks to minors. They claim that the energy drink has an impact on children’s health due to the high caffeine. Overall, there is no solid evidence that energy drinks will lead to heart failure, and this claim is exaggerated and misleading.  

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

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

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

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

Comments

I found similar evidence while I was doing my research. You added a lot of very good sources which backed up your claims and evidence very well.

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I also used the same source for my research and found similar evidence. The post is misleading but not harmful. You used a lot of sources which is good because the more evidence you have the stronger the argument.

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I love that you did your own research to answer the claim rather than just assuming. The way you went into detail about your findings show that you were able to find multiple reliable sources to gather the details from to come to a conclusion. Multiple articles you linked help in terms of the audience being able to refer back to the source as well.

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I found the same study when I was conducting my background research. Compared to the millions of people who drink energy drinks, this is the only study where energy drinks alone have been linked to a heart issue. Even then, this man was drinking 8-10 drinks a day, which is far more excessive that most energy drinkers have in a week. You had a lot of sources which is good in this case where the claim is kind of true, but needs to be expanded upon.

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I saw that you used multiple .gov websites to back up your answers and I thought that was very important. Debunking false claims the user made was also key. I found very similar answers in my research as well. Great job!

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This is a really strong fact check. I appreciate how detail oriented it is, as it address every aspect of the claim, including a strong variety of scientific sources to back. It could be improved with slight simplification for readers to understand.

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Very great fact check. Good job on doing your own research and providing many sources of evidence to back you up.

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This fact check is done well and strong. I appreciate that you found a case that pertains to energy drinks leading to heart failure and that you didn’t leave it at that. You mention that the man drank 8-10 drinks a day which contributed to his heart failure. You also provided information that France temporarily banned Red Bull instead of Europe as a whole and that Poland prohibited selling it to minors. These further steps that you took made this a strong response. Great job!

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Your fact check is written very well, I liked how you not only provided the sources but also included the evidence you found from your sources and expanded on them. I also liked how you noted that there are risks involved when drinking multiple drinks a day.

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You've done an outstanding job with this fact check! I appreciate the effort you put into it. It was fantastic that you found a case specifically linking energy drinks to heart failure, but what impressed me even more was that you didn't stop there. You made sure to mention that the man consumed 8-10 drinks a day, which played a significant role in his heart failure. Additionally, you provided valuable information about France temporarily banning Red Bull and Poland prohibiting its sale to minors. These extra steps made your response incredibly strong. Keep up the great work!

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You've done an outstanding job with this fact check, going beyond just finding a case linking energy drinks to heart failure by highlighting the man's excessive consumption and providing additional context such as France's temporary ban on Red Bull and Poland's restrictions. Your thorough research and attention to detail make your response strong and informative. It's impressive that you found this specific case, especially considering it's the only study linking energy drinks alone to a heart issue among millions of consumers. Your use of multiple reliable sources enhances the credibility of your findings and provides the audience with the opportunity to verify the information themselves.

I love that you added so many NIH articles. Maybe add some context into what each article is for more understanding!

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You did a great job fact checking this claim. I like how you even went above and beyond and found a case study regarding heart failure connections with drinking energy drinks. You also gave us a lot of sources to back up your claims so it did a great job backing you up. Your evidence and claims have proven that the claim of drinking energy causes heart failure could be misleading.

Answer 4

Although this claim does have some truth to it, there were no specifications as to what ingredients in these drinks may cause heart failure, or which brands of energy drinks in particular. According to an article that I read from BMJ Case Reports, energy drinks and heart failure can be linked. The patient that they used to support this evidence though was a 21-year-old who routinely had four 500ml cans of energy drink every day for 2 years. This is not the average consumption rate for nearly any kind of energy drink, so that is why this claim is misleading. 

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

Comments

In the video the woman does explain the different brands of energy drinks like, Red Bull, Celsius, Monster, but they also talk about the different ingredients in those drinks such as, artificial flavorings, Aspartame, L carnitine and much more.  I appreciate that yo0u used a case study, but BMJ, and also provide al ink to the source you used.

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The women in the video do talk about the different ingredients in certain energy drinks. I do agree that the claim is misleading and can be expanded further upon. I think your claim/explanation of the evidence could be a little more detailed, as far as what it proves about the original claim.

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I like the usage of a past case to provide further evidence to the claim, although I do think it'd be helpful to go more in depth, citing more than one article.

Answer 5

Most of this Tik Tok user's content consists of videos concerning the risks of energy drinks of health. In the video the user claims that their hospital is full of people with heart problems from drinking energy drinks. In the video they say to avoid red bull, monster, celsius, dunkin iced coffee, and starbucks double shot energy. The user says to avoid red bull because it contains aspartame which is banned in Europe. Aspartame is an artificial chemical sweetener. According to the European Food and Safety Authority as of June 28, 2023 aspartame is authorized as a food additive. The article goes over the history of the food additive and it is not banned but since 2013 they have been conducting data and tests of the risks of aspartame. The drink, however was banned for 12 years in France due to, "...health authorities' concerns about unknown consequences of the ingredient taurine, a chemical forbidden in several countries," according to a Reuters article. Red Bull reentered France in 2008 because the EU regulations state,"...that a product made or sold in other EU countries cannot be banned unless a health risk is proven," according to a Reuters article. This disproves the claim that aspartame is banned in Europe. 

In a study published on the National Library of Medicine professors conducted a study on the "Effects of energy drinks on the cardiovascular system". In their conclusion the professors write, "With the exception of the effects of caffeine, the ingredients in energy drinks have not been thoroughly studied to confirm the cardiovascular safety or the proclaimed energy-boosting benefits." Due to this scientific research proving that there is a lack of evidence regarding the ingredients the Tik Tok user claims to be harmful I would label this claim as exaggerated/misleading. 

Sources: 

https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/aspartame

https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL15769647/#:~:text=The%20drink%20had%20been%20banned,was%20on%20sale%20in%20France.

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

Comments

I think you did a great job in going in depth about the affects of energy drinks as well as speaking about how Aspartame is banned in some European countries.  I appreciate you providing links to all your sources as well.

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The same study was discovered while I was doing background research. This is the only study that links energy drinks alone to a cardiac problem, out of the millions of people who consume them. This man was drinking eight to ten drinks a day even back then, which is significantly more than most energy drinkers consume in a week. In this instance, where the claim is somewhat accurate but requires further investigation, having a large number of sources is beneficial.

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This is a really well done fact check. The background that you included on the creators other Tik Toks helps the readers gain more insight on the publisher. The quotes that you included really help back up your original statement.

Answer 6

Personally, I feel as if TikTok is not the most reliable place to get valuable and trustworthy information from.  However, this post in particular does have some truth to it.  Energy drinks do cause some heart problems as the National Institutes of Health website states, "In the literature, the excessive consumption of energy drinks has been associated with cardiovascular events such as tachycardia, myocardial infarction, and death."  Also, the TikTok states the nutrition facts of these energy drinks and doing some research on the different energy drinks, the facts given were true about the sugar content, artificial flavoring and much more.  I believe that the post was telling the truth about how energy drinks are bad for the heart, but in good quantities can they be safe to be consumed.  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9108477/#:~:text=In%20the%20literature%2C%20the%20excessive,%2C%20myocardial%20infarction%2C%20and%20death.&text=The%20tachycardic%20and%20arrhythmic%20effects,by%20some%20well%2Ddesigned%20studies.

Comments

I like the way you fact-checked this claim because of the credible evidence and sources you used to back up your answer. I agree that this claim has some truth to it.

Answer 7

The claim posted on News Detective is true. However, not every claim made in the Tiktok is true. According to the CDC and the National Library of Medicine, energy drinks are linked to higher rates of heart issues and diabetes due to the high sugar and caffeine levels. The greatest causes of heart disease in the United States are physical inactivity and obesity. Also, there is no data supporting exactly how many energy drinks will cause a heart problem. The CDC and NLM speak in broad statements, "The sugar content is mainly in the form of sucrose, glucose or high fructose corn syrup. Therefore, high energy drink intake may increase the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes." 

One of the chemicals mentioned in the Tiktok was Aspartame. According to the National Library of Medicine, there have been reports of allergic reactions and weight gain. It can also cause mood disorders and mental stress. Therefore, the Tiktok was only partially correct in this claim.

Comments

You used good sources, but I think you might want to link those sources in the future so that a reader can check that what you're saying is true. It might also benefit you to evaluate in-text why your sources are reputable or trustworthy. I also wonder if this claim really is true. From what you describe, it seems to be more "exaggerated" than outright true. The claim posted to news detective frames it as though an energy drink is guaranteed to cause these health issues, which your comment does not seem to agree with. As a result, a reader may get mixed messages and not have a solid answer after reading your fact check.

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I like your take on this, as most posts on here say it isexaggerating. Its interesting to see the other side. YOu do have sources to back up your claim; however, how accurate are the quotes you got these from? it would be beneficial if you linked your your sources. You state not every claim is true, so wouldn't that make it exaggerating?

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This is a good fact check. I think it may be beneficial to link your sources so the readers understand where you are pulling evidence from. Then, the readers can also understand if these sources appear credible by exploring the pages themselves. But, based on what you have explained, it seems that you selected good sources with lots of knowledge on the topic.

Answer 8

The original post is from a TikTok posted by a nurse. Posts on TikTok are not verified for accuracy and cannot always be trusted. Even though the creator is a nurse that doesn't mean everything that is shared by her is true. The claim that energy drinks are the cause of heart failure is a slight stretch. Energy drinks often contain ingredients that are not good for you but are not directly going to give you heart failure. The creator of the post also links her health products in her bio, which gives her an incentive to produce content that has a bias against energy drinks. According to NCBI energy drinks when consumed often, in rapid success, or combined with other drugs can lead to cardiovascular issues. The NCBI also found that there is not enough evidence to prove that energy drinks cause heart failure. "With the exception of the effects of caffeine, the ingredients in energy drinks have not been thoroughly studied to confirm the cardiovascular safety."

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

Answer 9

This TikTok is from a nurse who has seen these cases. However, I would not say that energy drinks 100% lead to heart failure because there can be many different reasons and outside health issues causing these people who come into the hospital that these patients could have also came in for because. However, this source has said the overconsumption of energy drinks has led to heart issues and life-threatening issues. Everything in over consumption can lead to health issues and be bad for you and I do think this Tiktok can be misleading to assume that energy drinks is the issue that is causing these hear failures alone.

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

Comments

I agree that not only energy drinks can lead to heart failure because many other factors can lead to this. Energy drinks themselves can cause problems for your heart but depending on how good your overall health is, energy drinks have the potential to put your heart health over the edge. For example, if you are not an overall healthy person, energy drink consumption has the potential to put you at a bigger risk for heart failure.

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I agree that we should raise awareness about the risks of overconsuming energy drinks. We also need to understand that  there could be more factors in a persons health history. Drinking too many drinks can be very bad for your health especially for your heart becuase they have a lot of caffeine and sugar.

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Your fact check is accurate because it accounts for factors outside of the energy drinks. The statement concluding that overconsumption of anything can cause health issues is absolutely true. I agree with your fact check, and appreciate the use of a government source.

Answer 10

Although energy drinks can lead to heart failure, saying that they cause it and are the only cause is a stretch. This is partly true though because energy drinks do cause your heart to speed up overtime and can eventually trigger failure. This is according to https://www.texashealth.org/areyouawellbeing/Heart-Health/Can-Energy-Drink-Consumption-Cause-Major-Heart-Issues#:~:text=%E2%80%9CEnergy%20drinks%20have%20long%20been,such%20as%20coronary%20artery%20disease. This source is legitaite because it is a .org.

Comments

I think this fact check could provide more information as to why the claim that "Regularly drinking energy drinks will lead to heart failure and they should be avoided at all costs." is misleading/exaggerated. I think providing specific quotes and more sources would help prove why this claim is exaggerating what energy drinks do. Just because there is one link provided and it is a .org does not prove much.