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Energy drink consumption improved cardiac function
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Study results presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Munich indicated significant increases in right and left ventricular function in those who drank energy drinks.
Matteo Cameli, MD, of the University of Siena in Italy, and colleagues used speckle-tracking echocardiography and echo-Doppler analysis to discover how energy drinks affect heart function.
Thirty-five participants (aged 25 years; 16 men, 19 women) drank a body surface area indexed amount (168 mL/m2)of an energy drink containing caffeine (0.03%) and taurine (0.4%). The researchers assessed their heart rate, blood pressure, left ventricular function and right ventricular function at baseline and 1 hour after consumption. One week later, the patients were analyzed at baseline and 1 hour after the consumption of a fruit juice.
The analysis of left ventricular function in those who ingested energy drinks displayed an 8% increase in mean relative values of mitral annular plane systolic excursion (P<.001), a 10% increase in global longitudinal strain (P=.004) and a 22% increase in left ventricular twisting (P<.0001) from baseline vs. those who drank fruit juice.
Further data also showed increases in right ventricular function parameters — tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion increased by 15% (P<.0001); global and free wall right ventricular longitudinal strain increased by 8% (P=.001) and 5% (P=.1), respectively.
Overall, heart rate increased by 1.2%, systolic BP increased by 2.6% and diastolic BP increased by 6% (P=.02). However, the observed increases in heart rate and systolic BP were nonsignificant.
“This confirms that standard energy drink consumption induces a light increase in diastolic blood pressure,” Cameli said in a press release.
“Taken together, these results show that energy drinks enhance contractions of both the left and right ventricles, thereby delivering a positive effect on myocardial function,” he said. “This could be explained by the effect of taurine that, as previously demonstrated, stimulates the release of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum.”
Cameli said future studies should focus on the benefits of long-term energy drink consumption and the effects during physical activity. He also said that it will be important to determine which effects are induced in patients with cardiac disease to further understanding of the potential benefits or risks of energy drink consumption.
For more information:
Menci D. #P3529. Presented at: the European Society of Cardiology Congress; Aug. 25-29, 2012; Munich.
Disclosure: Dr. Cameli reports no relevant financial disclosures.