The Deadly Reality of Energy Drinks

I'm in the process of medical testing to find out if I'm going to be able to be a bone marrow donor and this means I've been in and out of doctor's offices and hospitals for the past few months. And there's one thing I've noticed at each place I've visited- medical professionals love their energy drinks. The drinks are in their hands, on their desks, and in their vending machines and this surprises me.

As a mom to a toddler who has boundless energy and who starts work at 4am and has crazy work hours, I know that sometimes it's hard to get through the workday, especially when you've had no sleep, have a lot on your mind and are dragging. Coffee is my best friend, a friend I'm having to distance myself from. And it hurts, it really does- so if you're an energy drinker, you're not going to get any judgment from me, but you need to know that you could be stepping one foot in the grave, so maybe you might want to cut back a little?

Dr. Emily Fletcher, deputy pharmacy flight commander from David Grant USAF Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base in California led the government study on the dangers of energy drinks and found that consuming just one single energy drink can really hurt your heart, and maybe even lead to death.

When you drink an energy drink, the drink causes some scary changes in the electrical activity of your heart, which can lead it to beat abnormally. With this in mind, if you're someone who has a heart condition or high blood pressure, you might want to stop consuming energy drinks right away.

[via NY Post]