The popularity of energy drinks among teenagers and young adults has been increasing in the past decade with the emergence of the energy drink “Red Bull” back in the late nineties. There are now over 300 variants of energy drinks offered in the US and some of them are available everywhere: corner store, grocery store, restaurants, bars and even vending machines. The top four energy drinks company, Red Bull, Monster, Rockstar and NOS are often misleadingly advertised in sports, popular youth events and parties, which is worrisome considering that consuming high dosage of caffeine can be fatal when mixed with high intensity physical activities or alcohol (Reissig et al., 2009). The “aggressive marketing and rapid growth of energy drinks has resulted in increased reporting of caffeine poisoning and
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Cardiac ischaemia, which is the narrowing or temporal blockage of arteries that deprives the hearth from getting the bood rich in oxygen, has been linked to energy drink consumptions (Debopam, 2015). Indeed, this condition called the reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is mainly caused by vasoactive agents, such as caffeine, which are “drugs that modulate dopamine or serotonin system” (Debopam, p.186, 2015). The main symptom of RCVS are severe thunderclap headaches, which is a type of headache that occurs suddenly and peaks within 60 seconds, that can eventually result in strokes (Ducro, 2012). Back in 2010, there has been a case report that explicitly demonstrated the link between the consumption of energy drinks and RCVS in a healthy 16 year-old teenager. After drinking four 8-ounces cans of an energy drink with a concentration of 10 mg of caffeine per ounce, the magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI) showed the abnormal constriction of arteries throughout the brain (Debopam,
Cardiac ischaemia, which is the narrowing or temporal blockage of arteries that deprives the hearth from getting the bood rich in oxygen, has been linked to energy drink consumptions (Debopam, 2015). Indeed, this condition called the reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is mainly caused by vasoactive agents, such as caffeine, which are “drugs that modulate dopamine or serotonin system” (Debopam, p.186, 2015). The main symptom of RCVS are severe thunderclap headaches, which is a type of headache that occurs suddenly and peaks within 60 seconds, that can eventually result in strokes (Ducro, 2012). Back in 2010, there has been a case report that explicitly demonstrated the link between the consumption of energy drinks and RCVS in a healthy 16 year-old teenager. After drinking four 8-ounces cans of an energy drink with a concentration of 10 mg of caffeine per ounce, the magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI) showed the abnormal constriction of arteries throughout the brain (Debopam,