Five Foods That Hurt Your Heart

Avoid these to live longer

By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD
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Who Should Avoid Energy Drinks?

A certain type of beverage instantly increases heart rates by five to seven beats per minute and systolic blood pressure by 10 mm Hg. What could have such a powerful effect? Energy drinks, according to a new study, so it’s a good idea for people with high blood pressure or heart disease to avoid them.  

The products in this “energy drink” category generally contain the usual suspects:

  • Caffeine
  • Taurine (a nonessential amino acid derivative often found in meat and fish)
  • Sugars
  • Vitamins and other nutritional supplements

In the study, healthy volunteers between 20 and 39 years of age refrained from physical activity and drank two cans of an energy drink (totaling 200 milligrams taurine and 200 milligrams caffeine) in 30 minutes each day for a week. The change in heart rate and blood pressure might have been even higher if the subjects were able to exercise during the testing period.


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