Monster Energy Drink (Photo : Reuters)
Researchers discovered that energy drinks cause a spike in resting blood pressure for those who do not normally consume caffeinated drinks.
Anna Svatikova, the study's lead author, said that her team has previously shown that energy drinks cause blood pressure to rise.
"Now we are seeing that for those not used to caffeine, the concern may be even greater," said Svatikova from the Mayo Clinic.
The study involved 25 healthy 19 to 40-year olds. The researchers gave the participants a placebo drink and an energy drink from the market alternately. After drinking, the participants' blood pressure and heart rate changes were assessed, according to Zee News.
The researchers recorded the data before and half an hour after the drinks were consumed. They also compared the data between the participants who do not regularly drink caffeine-based drinks and those who are regular caffeine consumers.
After the researchers compared the data, they found out that the spike in blood pressure was more evident in those who did not consume less than 160 mg of caffeine in a day. The caffeine-naive participants had their blood pressure doubled.
Svatikova said that consumers should drink moderately or avoid energy drinks as they may increase the chances of developing cardiovascular problems, and younger people are not excluded.
However, despite the previous warnings over the consumption of energy drinks, market growth for the product still rose within the past few years.
In a study by Packaged Facts in 2013, the industry of energy drinks grew by more than 60 percent, according to LAS.
The study also indicated that five percent of adults in the United States drink energy products up to seven times in a month. Two percent have been reported to drink more than 10 times.
Most popular brands of energy drink include Rockstar Energy, Red Bull, 5-Hour Energy and Monster Energy.
