Heart Attack: Causes, Symptoms & Dangers of Excessive Energy Drink Consumption
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A heart attack is caused by inadequate blood flow to some parts of the heart muscles, and the damage to the heart muscle increases with the amount of time that goes by without proper blood flow. The primary cause of heart attacks is coronary artery disease, or CAD which is a narrowing of coronary artery by cholesterol deposition.
However, there are other less common causes of heart attack, such as the consumption of energy drinks. You may be less familiar with this one since not many people are aware that energy drinks can pose a threat to their hearts! Heart arrhythmias and elevated blood pressure are two cardiovascular problems that might result from using energy drinks and overindulgence has been linked to a heart attack by researchers.
Let’s take a look at the side effect of drinking energy drinks and how they can affect your heart health!
What is a Heart Attack?
To function properly the heart muscle needs oxygen, but, when the blood supply that gives oxygen to the heart muscle is drastically decreased or stopped, a heart attack happens. This occurs when an accumulation of fat and other materials, together referred to as plaque, causes the coronary arteries, which transfer blood to the heart muscle, to get blocked completely by clot formation.
Because of the plaque, a blood clot can form inside the artery, and the blood supply to the heart muscle via the artery can be obstructed by this blood clot. This is one of the major reasons for cardiac arrest! Reduced blood flow and oxygen delivery to the heart muscle is known as cardiac ischemia, and a heart attack, also known as a myocardial infarction (MI), is the result of ischemia causing damage or death to a portion of the heart muscle.
Symptoms of a Heart Attack
The heart attack signs and symptoms might vary significantly from person to person, but we have listed below the most common cardiac arrest signs and symptoms, so take a look:
Intense chest pain, and a feeling of squeezing and discomfort that lasts longer than a few minutes.
Worsening chest ache and chest discomfort that is not alleviated by resting or using nitroglycerin.
Soreness or pain that radiates to the jaw, arms, neck, or shoulders.
Other common cardiac arrest signs and symptoms are:
Breathlessness
Erratic or fast heartbeat
Vomiting or feeling nausea
Weakness or exhaustion
Clammy, chilly skin, or sweating
Lightheadedness or fainting
While chest discomfort is the primary indicator of an impending heart attack, it can also be mistaken for other medical disorders such as heartburn, pneumonia, and soreness in the cartilage connecting the front of the ribs to the breastbone. However, do not neglect chest pain because it can be the heart attack signs symptoms, so get a diagnosis by visiting a doctor without delay.
Causes of Heart Attack
The most common reasons for cardiac arrest is the problem with a blood artery supplying the heart oxygen. Plaque, a sticky material that may accumulate within your arteries, is typically the cause of a heart attack, and this accumulation is known as atherosclerosis. Coronary artery disease is the term for the accumulation of a significant quantity of atherosclerotic plaque in the blood arteries that supply the heart blood and oxygen. Occasionally, plaque buildup within the coronary arteries may burst or rupture, leaving a blood clot lodged where the rupture occurred, and a heart attack may result from the clot obstructing the artery.
Other reasons for cardiac arrest include:
Trauma that results in coronary artery rips or ruptures
Coronary artery spasm
Medical disorders, such as any illness that results in an abnormal constriction of blood vessels
Coronary artery obstruction originating from another part of your body, such as an embolism or blood clot that travels to your coronary artery
Anomalous coronary arteries are an inherited cardiac condition in which the coronary arteries are positioned abnormally
There are other reasons for cardiac arrest, such as low blood pressure, low oxygen levels, or an excessively rapid heart rate, that can prevent your heart from getting enough blood for an extended length of time.
Energy Drinks can cause a Heart Attack
Overindulgence in energy drinks has been associated in recent years with a rise in potentially fatal cardiovascular problems, such as heart attacks! Energy drinks include a variety of stimulants, such as taurine, carnitine, and ginseng, in addition to moderate to high levels of sugar and caffeine, and the side effect of drinking energy drinks are quite a few for that reason. According to research, adults should use no more than four hundred mg of caffeine per day, but some energy drinks include more caffeine than five hundred mg, which is very harmful to the body.
While moderate to low caffeine consumption is somewhat harmless, heavy caffeine consumption can lead you to experience the side effect of drinking energy drinks, and can also lead to heart attack! In large quantities, the stimulating effects of other substances, such as taurine and ginseng, especially when paired with caffeine, may cause health concerns, but numerous energy drinks include these chemicals in excess. For instance, the amount of taurine in some energy drinks is more than ten times the daily recommended amount!
A study discovered that consuming energy drinks in excess might cause arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, and myocardial infarction, among other cardiovascular problems, and the researchers observed that these instances were usually associated with short bursts of high energy drink usage. The side effect of drinking energy drinks worsens when these drinks are taken with alcohol or other stimulants.
Heart Attack Risk Factors
Your age, sex, family history, lifestyle, and a number of medical issues can all raise your risk of heart disease and heart attacks, and together, these are referred to as heart attack risk factors. Certain risk factors, like your age, sex, or family history, are uncontrollable, but the risk factors, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, or energy drinks, can be controlled by being mindful and cautious! Smoking, high blood pressure, and high blood cholesterol are considered the three main risk factors for heart attacks.
Final Remarks
Heart attacks used to only happen to older adults, but these days, middle-aged people and even people in their 20s and 30s get heart attacks! These might be the result of a sedentary lifestyle of this modern age, but lifestyle choices, such as drinking, smoking, and overconsumption of energy drinks can also be factors behind heart attacks. We have already discussed how energy drinks can affect your health, so you must be cautious while going for energy drinks. However, you also need to regularly attend health checkups to see the condition of your overall health, including blood pressure, heart condition, and cholesterol levels.
Contact Medanta today and book an appointment with a cardiac care specialist to get checked!
