Wings! Heart Problems…
I’ve heard horror stories in the past of people, even athletes, having heart attacks after working out and drinking a RedBull. Therefore, I was pretty shocked when I saw a RedBull promotional team handing out free drinks at the last Ultimate Frisbee tournament I went to. Of course, I still took one (a free RedBull is a free RedBull) but luckily, I didn’t die. However, according to this story form the Lehigh Valley Hospital it may have been a good idea to forgo the drink after all.
Most healthy people can have an energy drink (Jolt, Red Bull or
Rockstar, for example) without experiencing any problems. But energy
drinks contain huge amounts of legal stimulants such as caffeine, and
have been shown to boost both blood pressure and heart rate, especially
if you drink them regularly. In some people, they cause heart
palpitations. Even healthy young people who drank two cans of a
relatively mild energy drink every day for a week in one study saw
their blood pressure and heart rate increase about 10 percent for
several hours after drinking.
Does anyone care to share their guidelines for drinking energy drinks regularly or while exercising? The “energy drink market” is still relatively young, but maybe there is truly enough controversy to give someone the reason to think twice before chugging one down.
