How many energy drinks are too many?
According to CNN, researchers in the United Kingdom are putting out a warning after observing a patient who consumed an extreme number of the drinks.
He "was healthy and fit at 54, an avid runner with no vices — he didn’t smoke, drink or do drugs," according to CNN. But the man suffered a stroke, CNN reported. He survived but deals with the effects of it.
“His blood pressure was sky high — about 254 over 150 millimeters — yet when you looked at him, you’ve never know it, because he looked so well. That’s why we call hypertension the silent killer,” said Dr. Sunil Munshi, a consulting physician at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust in the United Kingdom, to CNN.
The findings are discussed in a journal article called Energy Drinks, Hypertension and Stroke, which ran in BMJ Journals. "This article explores what we can learn from this case about whether energy drink consumption could be a risk factor for stroke and cardiovascular disease, and therefore the importance of targeted questioning in clinical practice, and greater public awareness," the article says.
"After discharge, his BP rose again and remained persistently high despite up-titration of antihypertensives to five medications," the journal article says. "After further questioning, the patient revealed an average daily consumption of eight cans of energy drink, each containing 160 mg caffeine, a habit which had not been specifically asked about during admission."
The type of energy drink was not clear. However, the research suggests that drinking eight energy drinks per day can "lead to serious health consequences," Fox4 News reported.
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel said to that outlet: "This case report illustrates the high risk associated with a large volume of energy drink consumption, especially because of the high caffeine content, which can raise your blood pressure substantially."
"In this case, the large amount of caffeine appears to have led directly to very high blood pressure and a thalamic stroke, which is likely a result of that soaring blood pressure."
CNN points out that the US Food and Drug Administration recommends "no more than 400 milligrams a day" of caffeine.