%0 Journal Article
%T Acute Effects of an Energy Drink on Myocardial Function Assessed by Conventional Echo-Doppler Analysis and by Speckle Tracking Echocardiography on Young Healthy Subjects
%A Daniele Menci
%A Francesca Maria Righini
%A Matteo Cameli
%A Matteo Lisi
%A Susanna Benincasa
%A Marta Focardi
%A Sergio Mondillo
%J Journal of Amino Acids
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/646703
%X Purpose. Previous studies have underlined the effects of the energy drinks containing caffeine end taurine on the cardiovascular system. The aim of this study was to determine acute changes on echocardiographic parameters assessed by conventional echo-Doppler analysis and by speckle tracking echocardiography after the consumption of an energy drink in a young healthy population. Methods. measurement of blood pressure, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic examination were performed on 35 healthy subjects (mean age 25 ¡À 2 years, 16 men), at baseline and one hour after the consumption of a body surface area indexed amount of an energy drink (168£¿mL/m2) containing caffeine (0.03%) and taurine (0.4%). Results. The analysis of left ventricular function showed a significant increase of mean relative values of MAPSE (+11%; ), global longitudinal strain (+10%, ), and left ventricular twisting (+22%, ) in respect to baseline. Also, right ventricular function parameters appeared significantly increased after energy drink consumption, as TAPSE (+15%, ), global, and free wall right ventricular longitudinal strain (+8%, ; +5%, , resp.). Conclusion. In conclusion, the consumption of the ED in our population showed a significant increase of right and left ventricular myocardial function, suggesting a possible positive inotropic effect related to the substances contained therein. 1. Introduction Energy drinks (ED) have increased in popularity among adolescents and young adults, because of the possible ergogenic effects [1¨C4] and the improvement of cognitive performance due to some ingredients found in these beverages [5, 6], in particular caffeine, taurine, glucuronolactone, and glucose. So far, little evidence exists regarding acute effects of the ED on cardiac function. The most important cardiovascular effects of caffeine in acute settings are the increase of blood pressure and circulating concentration of norepinephrine, the increase of arterial stiffness, and the impairment of endothelium-dependent vasodilation [7]. Taurine (aminoethane sulfonic acid) is a ubiquitous compound found in very high concentrations in heart and muscle. It has been demonstrated that it has a role in the control mechanism of myocardial contractility and studies in animal models have shown that the lack of taurine induces the onset of dilated cardiomyopathy; the beneficial effect of taurine on heart failure was also reported [8]. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that the use of both taurine and caffeine is able to determine a reduction of the effects of caffeine, especially
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jaa/2013/646703/