4 Health Risks Due to Consumption of Energy Drinks

        One can get a shot of instant energy after drinking energy drinks because of high levels of caffeine in it. But there is concern whether the consumption of energy drinks affect a person's health condition.
Energy drinks contain about 215 milligrams of caffeine, equivalent to the caffeine in two cups of coffee. Consumption of high amounts of caffeine have been linked to several diseases.
Here are 4 related health problems of energy drink consumption, as reported by My Health News Daily, Sunday (18/11/2012), among others:

1. Heart problems
       In recent years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received 30 complaints of a heart attack caused by the consumption of energy drinks. Earlier in 2007, an Australian man also reportedly suffered a heart attack after consuming eight cans of energy drink for more than 7 hours.
Patients who have heart problems at all with no history of chest pain. This might be due to a too high level of caffeine in energy drinks can increase heart rate and blood pressure.
Caffeine can also cause liver cells to release calcium, affects heart rate, and cause abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia). These drinks can also disrupt the balance of salt in the body, which is also associated with arrhythmias.
       However, there is no sufficient evidence to show that energy drinks cause heart problems. Further research is needed to determine how much of the amount of energy drink consumption can interfere with the heart.


2. Risk of miscarriage
       The FDA has also received reports linking the consumption of energy drinks with miscarriage pregnancy. A study conducted in 2006 of more than 1,000 pregnant women found that pregnant women who consume more than 200 mg of caffeine per day, two times more likely to miscarry than pregnant women who did not drink caffeine.
However, a study published in 2008 found no association between caffeine consumption, regardless of the amount of the risk of miscarriage at 20 weeks gestation. Because these studies have found no common ground, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that pregnant women should limit caffeine intake to 200 mg per day.


3. Increased risk of alcoholism
       Studies show that combining alcohol and energy drinks can be dangerous to health. Although caffeine is a stimulant, studies show that caffeine can fight the sedative effects of alcohol.
Mixing alcohol and energy drinks can make a person awake for long periods of time and allow it to consume alcohol in greater numbers than usual. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association last year.


4. Impaired intelligence
       The students usually drink energy drinks to boost morale and to stay awake to study. But a study conducted in 2010 found that the consumption of large amounts of caffeine cause the opposite effect of reduced intelligence.