Ganolife Coffee Is Better For Your Heart Part 3

This Is Your Heart on Energy Drinks. Your heart responds to the high levels of caffeine in energy drinks in more ways than one. By Jennifer J. Brown, PhD, Everyday Health Staff Writer. Energy Drinks Plus Alcohol: Heart Failure Triggers A recent survey of secondary school students throughout the United States found 30 percent use energy drinks, often in combination with alcohol and illicit drugs. The trend of adding energy drinks or shots to alcohol increases the risks of both. The energy drinks raise blood pressure and heart rate but also intensify alcohol's effects. Drinking alcohol causes your body to lose water and raises the risk for dehydration, similar to the effect of coffee, some teas and sodas. "Like caffeine, alcohol also works as a diuretic and can increase volume and electrolyte loss," said T. Jared Bunch, MD, a cardiologist at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah, and an Everyday Health columnist. "Alcohol in some people is toxic to the heart and can result in heart failure," warned Dr. Bunch. Too much alcohol alone can be lethal. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, excessive drinking causes an estimated 88,000 deaths in the United States yearly. These deaths are most often from binge drinking, which for women is four or more drinks in one session, and for men, five or more.