The Danger Of Energy Drinks And High Blood Pressure

How Are Energy Drinks and High Blood Pressure Connected?

The deception with energy drinks begins with the word “energy.” Once inside the body, these beverages actually go to war with the body’s inherent ability to produce cellular energy.

By creating an acidic environment in the gut, these beverages actually inhibit oxygen utilization within the cells. In the moment, these drinks feel like they are giving you a boost, flooding the body with sugar and added caffeine, but the energy boost is short-lived and fake. It doesn’t take long for these drinks to zap the natural energy production of the cells, leaving you tired and feeling the need for more.

That need for more can be addictive and evenly deadly for some. In 2014, at least 34 deaths associated with energy drinks were reported in the U.S. Now, researchers are learning that consuming even a couple of energy drinks a day is dangerous for anyone and everyone, because they negatively affect heart rhythm and blood pressure, while also robbing the bones of nutrition due to their acid-forming effect in the gut.

Energy drinks raise blood pressure

The American Heart Association recently presented the new research linking “energy” drinks to abnormal heart rhythms. The evidence was brought forth by U.S. researchers from the University of the Pacific and the David Grant Medical Center and shows that two cans of energy drink a day increase the risk of abnormal heart rhythm and high blood pressure.

The study monitored 27 volunteers between ages 18 and 40. One group was given two cans of energy drink a day, every six days, for three weeks. The other group was given two cans of a placebo drink. Neither group knew what they were drinking. After the volunteers drank the two cans, researchers measured their heart rhythm and blood pressure four times in the six hours immediately afterward.

Those volunteers who were given the energy drinks showed an increased risk of heart problems. Electrocardiograms showed that their QTc intervals were abnormal. Both the duration of their heartbeats and the time required for their hearts’ electrical systems to recharge to prepare for the next heartbeat were negatively affected. Those who drank the energy drinks also had consistently higher blood pressure readings for two hours after consuming the drinks.

Energy drinks rob the body’s nutrition reserves, setting the stage for disease and injury

The most surefire way to provide the body with true energy is to fuel the gut with enzyme-rich, alkaline-forming foods. Expert nutritionists recommend having a diet that is 70-80 percent alkaline-forming, which includes many fruits and most green leafy vegetables. When broken down and utilized, these foods leave behind an alkaline ash that contains important nutrients to provide real cellular energy – calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and/or iron.

On the other hand, acid-forming foods should be consumed sparingly. Once these foods are assimilated in the gut, they leave behind acidic waste that must be neutralized. Acid forming foods and beverages such as sodas, sports drinks, and meats leave behind inorganic materials such as chloride, phosphorous, iodine, or sulfur.

In order for these materials to be neutralized, important nutrients must be leached from the reserves in the body. After drinking too many sodas or sports drinks, one is more apt to feel inflammation in the joints, elbows, and knees. In essence, these acid-forming drinks rob the body from the inside, leaving a person more susceptible to disease and injury.

Some of the best alkaline forming foods include broccoli, carrots, cabbage, Brussel sprouts, kale, radishes, onions, lemons, limes, cucumbers, spinach, avocados, green tea, sweet potatoes, blueberries, papayas, grapes, kiwi, peas, etc.

Some of the worst foods that rob the body of essential nutrition, and which are most acid-forming on the pH scale are indeed … sodas and energy drinks.