Heart attacks, characterized by cold sweats and sharp chest pain, are widely understood to be the result of poor lifestyle choices that progressively damage vascular health.
The most infamous drink associated with this damage is alcohol. But in recent years, other beverages have raised concerns about their effect on the heart. A popular drink has been shown to increase the risk of heart attack in young and healthy people.
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Heart attacks occur when blood flow to the heart is obstructed, and a number of factors can cause this effect.
A body of research suggested that consuming too many energy drinks could trigger sudden cardiac arrest in healthy people.
The main dangers of drinking lie in its high concentrations of caffeine.
Though caffeine consumption is generally considered safeAdverse effects have been reported in association with higher doses.
Guarana, however, contains twice the amount of caffeine found in coffee beans.. When mixed with other popular substances, such as ginseng and taurine, guarana may cause uncertain interactionsthe researchers warned.
The authors of the 2017 article, published in Anatolian Journal of Cardiology, noted a prevalence of «unexplained cardiac arrest in youth after consuming energy drinks.»
They noted that the events they were particularly prevalent among those who mixed energy drinks with alcoholic beverages.
They explained: «It seems clear that energy drinks, some beverages and some supplements that include stimulants could cause critical and rarely irreversible cardiovascular events in the young population.»
They speculated that the most credible explanation was that energy drinks «lead to catastrophic events through lethal arrhythmias«.
Arrhythmias are a condition caused by faulty signaling that coordinates the heartbeat.
This can cause the heart to beat too fast, too slow, or with regularity. In severe cases, the condition it can cause fast and chaotic electrical signals to travel to the lower chambers of the heart.
According to Mayo Clinicthis can lead to serious problems that can cause death, if the heart rhythm is not restored within minutes.
How to avoid a heart attack
Countermeasures against a heart attack usually include treating high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
The conditions, which are major risk factors for heart attack, can be prevented through a combination of exercise and a healthy diet.
WebMD recommends choosing «plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, poultry, fish and other lean proteins, nuts, seeds and vegetable oils.»
It also advises «keeping saturated fat to less than six percent of your daily calories.»
Alcohol and tobacco also have important effects on cardiovascular risk factors, but smoking is certainly worse than drinking.
Inhaling cigarette smoke damages cells, leading to significant artery damage, which increases the risk of a heart attack.