A MAN suffered a deadly cardiac arrest after guzzling Red Bull every day.
His wife, Meagan Shreve, has claimed her husband’s caffeinated pop habit which saw him drink up to three cans a day caused his “heart to stop” beating.
In a video shared on TikTok, Meagan (@ladyshreve) recounted the night doctors performed chest compressions on Aaron Shreve to resuscitate him, resulting in broken ribs.
He was then forced to stay in hospital for “five to six weeks” while cardiologists monitored his heart.
Meagan claims medics said her husband’s cardiac arrest was brought on by “dehydration” and he was having “too many energy drinks.”
According to Meagan, Aaron was drinking around “two to three'” energy drinks per day, plus coffee.
A cardiac arrest is a medical emergency that occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating.
The ordeal started in January this year when Aaron woke his wife up in the middle of the night to tell her he “wasn’t feeling great”.
“His heart was racing, his hands and feet were going numb and he just didn’t feel right,” she said.
“I thought he was having a panic attack…he was like, I think you need to call 911, I think I need to go to the hospital,” she added.
Within “less than a minute” of seeing the hospital doctor, her husband had collapsed.
“All these alarms started going off…his heart stopped,” she said.
Hospital staff started chest compressions in a bid to restart his heart and keep him alive
Thankfully the doctors were able to restart Aarons’s heart and, after six weeks of monitoring, he returned home.
At first, medics had “no answers” as to why the otherwise healthy man had suffered the arrest.
They eventually decided it “was almost certainly” the Red Bull, she said in a follow-up post.
The drinks were said to exacerbate the effects of dehydration, Meagan claimed.
Several existing studies have linked energy drinks to heart problems, including irregular heartbeats and cardiac arrest.
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in the US looked at the medical data of 144 patients who had survived a cardiac arrest following emergency treatment.
Seven of them, aged between 20 and 42, had consumed an energy drink sometime before the life-threatening event, with six requiring electrical shock treatment and one needing manual resuscitation.
Three of the patients were regular energy drink consumers and four were revealed to have a type of genetic heart condition.
Researchers said that other factors surrounding the event, such as sleep deprivation, dehydration, dieting, extreme fasting, vaping and antibiotic medication, may have created a “perfect storm”, leading to sudden cardiac arrest in these patients.
While the study, published in the Elsevier journal Heart Rhythm, did not prove a direct cause, the researchers still recommend consuming energy drinks in moderation.
Red Bull has been contacted for comment.
The risk associated with some energy drinks is linked to their high caffeine content.
While an average cup of coffee contains approximately 100mg of caffeine, energy drinks like Monster can contain up to 160mg.
A can of Red Bull contains 80mg.
Caffeine consumption triggers the release of hormones such as noradrenaline and norepinephrine, which can elevate heart rate and blood pressure.
THIS doesn't mean that you need to give up soda altogether.
But it’s a good idea to wean yourself off the drinks if you’re having multiple a day.
Llinos from Benenden Health said that if you’re having sweetened drinks every day and finding yourself craving them regularly, this could be a sign you’re addicted to them.
“Now is the time to reduce how much you consume to better your long-term health,” she advised.
“To help reduce the amount of fizzy diet drinks you have every day, set yourself ‘pop-free days’.”
“Keep a bottle of plain water within reach throughout the day, so you build new, healthier drinking habits,” Llinos added.
Victoria from BHF echoed Llinos in saying: “It’s ok to have fizzy drinks as an occasional treat but they shouldn’t be part of our daily diets.
“Sugar-free versions are usually low in calories so they’re a better choice, but make sure you’re including other drinks too.”
Some alternatives to try include:
Experts have also expressed concerns about other ingredients in energy drinks, such as taurine, which may have stimulant properties.
Although most individuals tolerate caffeine well, some may experience heart palpitations or irregular heartbeats.
Previous research found just one energy drink a month is enough to increase your risk of sleep problems.
And other studies have found that children and young people who guzzle energy drinks are at increased risk of suicidal thoughts.
One also drew direct links between excessive consumption and the likelihood of experiencing severe health risks affecting the heart, nervous system, liver and kidneys.
