These drinks are claimed to boost your health and energy. Some people swear to their effectiveness and can’t live without them.

But there is a darker side to these “healthy” drinks.

New studies proof them to be deadly. They spike your blood pressure and cause sudden death by stroke and heart attack.

With the average American consuming 1.2 gallons of energy drinks per year and sales topping $10 billion annually, the energy drink industry is enjoying a high that shows no signs of coming down.

Manufacturers produce their stimulant cocktails by combining caffeine, sugar, herbs, vitamins, amino acids, and just about any other non-controlled substance reputed to have energizing effects.

In fact, the term “energy drink” is not recognized by the FDA and is actually a marketing ploy devised by the beverage industry itself.

What’s in There?

Energy drink companies often point out that their beverages contain less caffeine than a typical coffee shop drink. And likewise, any other single ingredient in a typical energy drink may not be harmful by itself or in moderation.

However, the combination of these ingredients can interact in dangerous ways. Energy drinks spike your blood pressure and can keep it elevated for 6 hours or more. They also raise your stress hormone levels and greatly increase your heart attack risk.

In one study, participants’ blood pressure increased by 6.4% and adrenaline levels increased by a startling 74% after consuming an energy drink that contained 240 mg of caffeine – about the amount in 2.5 cups of regular coffee. The drink also contained 2000 mg of taurine – four times the recommended daily serving of this amino acid.

Not Knowing When to Stop

The amount of caffeine in that drink is not exceedingly high for an adult, by many standards, but it is the combination of caffeine with taurine that may be at issue. Though taurine is known to decrease blood pressure it can also decrease the effects of caffeine, contributing to a post-drink energy crash that drives users to consume more in order to achieve the boost they are looking for, potentially consuming hazardously high levels of caffeine and, depending on the particular beverage, other stimulants, in the process.

Even in healthy young adults, a group that should be most resistant to their detrimental effects, energy drinks have been found to interfere with transmission of electrical impulses to the heart. As a result, increasing use of energy drinks has led to dangerous irregularities in heart rhythm in some instances, as well as situations in which blood supply and oxygen to the heart are suddenly and drastically reduced.

And while habitual energy drink users report increased vigor and decreased fatigue, objective tests often tell a different story, instead, finding that performance on coordination and concentration tests do not improve and, in fact, worsen over time.

The best way to naturally increase your energy and alertness and at the same time lower your blood pressure is to decrease the stress hormone production in your body.

Our easy blood pressure exercises drop blood pressure below 120/80 by reducing the amount of stress hormone your body releases. Learn more and try them out for yourself here…