A Florida woman drank up to three energy drinks per day before she died from a heart attack in August 2021.
The deceased woman, Katie Donnell, was a teacher from Florida and "workout queen" who regularly consumed coffee and caffeine supplements before workouts. But Donnell's mother, Lori Barranon, blamed energy drinks as the reason for her child's passing in a new interview with the Daily Mail.
"She thought it'd help her work out and give her more energy. She was working out, working full-time and going to school," Barranon told the UK outlet. "I think she got used to the buzz."
It was in August 2021 that Donnell was spending time with friends when she suffered from a heart attack and could not be revived when the ambulance arrived. "She was without oxygen for too long and it caused brain damage. They worked on her for three hours and she never woke up," her mother recalled.
Donnell was placed in a medically induced coma for ten days, but when her "body started to fail," her family made the "horrible" decision to take her off life support.
"Her boyfriend said she would buy a four-pack [of energy drinks] every two to three days. Not to mention she was drinking a lot of coffee," Barranon said.
She continued, "One of her friends said she'd hardly see Katie without an energy drink in her hands. When I cleaned out her car after she passed it was full of cans, at least three or four in there."
Energy drink consumers are urged to have them in moderation, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommending up to 400 mg daily in healthy adults. The overconsumption of caffeine can affect heart health, potentially causing heart failure, arrhythmia, and increased blood pressure.