Randomized controlled trial of high-volume energy drink versus caffeine consumption on ECG and hemodynamic parameters

Background- caffeine in doses < 400 mg is typically not considered arrhythmogenic,but little is known about the additional ingredients in energy drinks. we evaluated the ecg and blood pressure (bp) effects of high-volume energy drink consumption compared with caffeine alone. methods and results- this was a randomized,double-blind,controlled,crossover study in 18 young,healthy volunteers. participants consumed either 946 ml (32 ounces) of energy drink or caffeinated control drink,both of which contained 320 mg of caffeine,separated by a 6-day washout period. ecg,peripheral bp,and central bp measurements were obtained at baseline and 1,2,4,6,and 24 hours post study drink consumption. the time-matched,baseline-adjusted changes were compared. the change in corrected qt interval from baseline in the energy drink arm was significantly higher than the caffeine arm at 2 hours (0.44±18.4 ms versus -10.4±14.8 ms,respectively; p=0.02). the qtc changes were not different at other time points. while both the energy drink and caffeine arms raised systolic bp in a similar fashion initially,the systolic bp was significantly higher at 6 hours when compared with the caffeine arm (4.72±4.67 mm hg versus 0.83±6.09 mm hg,respectively; p=0.01). heart rate,diastolic bp,central systolic bp,and central diastolic bp showed no evidence of a difference between groups at any time point. post energy drink,augmentation index was lower at 6 hours. conclusions- the corrected qt interval and systolic bp were significantly higher post high-volume energy drink consumption when compared with caffeine alone. larger clinical trials validating these findings and evaluation of noncaffeine ingredients within energy drinks are warranted. clinical trial registration- url: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. unique identifier: nct02023723. © 2017 the authors.