Does Drinking Energy Drinks Really Increase Your Stroke Risk?

While the popular saying goes, "an apple a day will keep the doctor away," some medical professionals are now saying that a certain number of energy drinks a day may get you an extended hospital stay.

Research has been released about the connection between energy drinks and stroke risks, and it's bad news for anyone who likes to start their day with an energy drink or two. That's because doctors believe that one man's stroke was the result of his energy drink habit.

Of course, one case isn't enough to say for sure, and there's likely to be a lot more research done into the topic. But, for now, here's everything that we know about the situation that was turned into a case study by researchers who believe they may have unlocked proof that excessive consumption of energy drinks can increase your risk of having a stroke.

Trust us, you're going to want to read this before you crack open your next can or bottle!

A UK man is the subject of speculation about the connection between energy drinks and stroke risks, after his eight-drink-a-day habit put him in the hospital. The study was published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Case Reports, which included some additional details about the middle-aged man.

According to the report, the mild stroke happened eight years ago, and the man has experienced ongoing effects since then, which he says include numbness in the hands and feet on his left side.

The man was in his 50s when he arrived at the hospital with stroke-like symptoms. When the triage team took his blood pressure, it was reportedly so high that he had entered the hypertensive crisis range, which is one of the biggest risk factors when it comes to ischemic stroke.

A scan of his brain later showed a blood clot. While he was eventually able to get his blood pressure down via medication, it later rose again, which is when he revealed his energy drink habit.

Doctors say that he was likely consuming 1.3 grams of caffeine a day, while it's typically not recommended that people consume more than 400 mg a day. However, after weaning off the energy drinks, the unnamed man's blood pressure went back to normal. And other than the numbness, his symptoms largely disappeared as well.

Of course, there are a lot of unknowns about this case, including genetic and lifestyle variables that could've contributed to his stroke.

Other than that initial case study, there seems to be some good research out there explaining why energy drinks may increase your risk of stroke. According to the Stony Brook Medicine blog, energy drinks may contribute to stroke risk thanks to the way they increase your blood pressure, put stress on your heart (some ingredients can cause your heart vessels to narrow), and cause dehydration (which makes your blood thicker and harder to pass through your veins).