How many energy drinks can young adults safely
drink per day?
The answer may surprise you.
I'm Gabe Garza with your latest health news.
A new study found that drinking as little
as one 16-ounce energy drink may significantly
increase blood pressure and stress hormone
responses.
According to the authors of this study, these
changes could potentially predispose otherwise
healthy young adults to increased cardiovascular
risk.
Researchers looked at 25 young adults with
no known cardiovascular risk factors.
Each participant was asked to drink either
one 16-ounce can of a commercially available
energy drink, or a placebo drink within five
minutes and in random order on two separate
days.
After consuming the energy drink, researchers
found a 6.2 percent increase in blood pressure
and a 73.6 percent increase in norepinephrine
levels on average.
Norepinephrineis is considered a "fight or
flight" chemical because it increases blood
pressure and the heart's ability to contract.
By comparison, blood pressure and norepinephrine
levels increased 3.1 percent and 30.9 percent
respectively after placebo.
