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Doctors Warn of Stroke Risk From Heavy Energy-Drink Use in BMJ Case Report

Clinicians urge research with clearer oversight after linking extreme caffeine to dangerous hypertension.

Overview

  • The report details a fit man in his 50s who drank eight energy drinks daily, totaling about 1,200–1,300 mg of caffeine, and presented with a thalamic ischemic stroke and blood pressure of 254/150 mmHg.
  • After he stopped energy drinks, his blood pressure normalized and antihypertensive medication was discontinued, yet he reports persistent left‑side numbness eight years later.
  • The authors propose that ingredients such as guarana, taurine, ginseng and glucuronolactone may add hidden caffeine or amplify cardiovascular effects, while stressing the single case cannot prove causation.
  • Doctors recommend clinicians ask about energy‑drink intake in unexplained hypertension or stroke and call for tighter rules on sales and youth‑targeted advertising, building on recent UK restrictions for under‑16s.
  • Industry representatives cite European Food Safety Authority assessments and existing labeling rules to assert product safety, as public‑health guidance typically caps adult caffeine intake at 400 mg per day.