'Energy drinks killed my superfit daughter' claims heartbroken mum, as scientists sound alarm over cardiac risk

A distraught parent has warned of the dangers of vigor drinks aft her 'super healthy' 28 year-old girl died pursuing a daze bosom onslaught — which she blames connected the gym bunny's caffeine habit.

Katie Donnell, from Florida successful the US, took a caffeine supplement, followed by up to 3 vigor drinks a time arsenic good arsenic the unusual coffee, successful bid to substance her workouts.

The teacher was 'rarely' seen without an vigor portion successful her hands, and would bargain a four-pack of the sodas each 2 to 3 days, according to her boyfriend.

Apart from 'horrible anxiety', which her parent besides blames connected vigor portion 'abuse', Ms Donnell was the 'epitome of health', suffering nary underlying conditions.

But successful August 2021, portion retired with friends, she abruptly fell unconscious, her eyes 'rolling into the backmost of her head'.

'They [her friends] thought she was having a changeable but she was really having a bosom attack,' said her mother, Lori Barranon, 63.

'The ambulance got determination and couldn't intubate her. She was without oxygen for excessively agelong and it caused encephalon damage.

'They worked connected her for 3 hours and she ne'er woke up.'

 Doctors were truthful shocked by the onslaught that they initially believed it was the effect of a cause spiking incident, Ms Barranon said.

'She was near for 10 days successful a medically induced coma but she ne'er woke up.

'Whenever she tried to aftermath up she was having seizures. Then her assemblage started to fail.'

After an anxious bedside vigil, the household had to marque the 'horrible' determination to power disconnected Ms Donnell's beingness enactment machine.

'At 28, you conscionable don't spot radical dropping dormant of a bosom attack,' said Ms Barranon.

'She was a workout queen, she ate existent clean, she ate integrated food, she was the epitome of wellness different than [having vigor drinks].

'Doctors said they spot this hap a batch with radical that bash a batch of pre-workout oregon vigor drinks but they wouldn't springiness the origin of decease to that.

'I cognize for a information that was what was incorrect with her.'

Ms Barranon said her girl would typically commencement the time with a 'pre-workout' supplement — which contains astir the aforesaid magnitude of caffeine arsenic an vigor drink.

'I didn't realise however overmuch she was drinking until aft she passed. Her fellow said she would bargain a four-pack [of drinks] each 2 to 3 days.

'Not to notation she was drinking a batch of java and doing the pre-workout.

'One of her friends said she'd hardly spot Katie without an vigor portion successful her hands. When I cleaned retired her car aft she passed it was afloat of cans, astatine slightest 3 oregon 4 successful there.

'She thought it'd assistance her enactment retired and springiness her much energy. She was moving out, moving afloat clip and going to school, burning it astatine some ends.

'I deliberation she got utilized to the buzz.'

The depletion of vigor drinks that incorporate precocious levels of caffeine tin origin cardiovascular issues, including precocious humor pressure, bosom arrhythmias and adjacent bosom attacks if drunk excessively, according to immoderate studies.

While the recommended regular dose of caffeine is astir 100 milligrams for adolescents and 400 milligrams for adults, immoderate UK vigor drinks incorporate much than 300 milligrams.

In the US, drinks containing much than 500milligrams of caffeine are available.

 A fig of vigor drinks besides see further ingredients specified arsenic taurine which, on with caffeine, are believed to lend to alterations successful bosom rate, potentially disrupting the organ's electrical system.

Last summer, researchers successful the US warned that vigor drinks could trigger a life-threatening cardiac apprehension successful those with familial bosom defaults — the bulk of which are undiagnosed.   

Researchers astatine the Mayo Clinic successful the US looked astatine the aesculapian information of 144 patients who had survived a cardiac apprehension and recovered 7 of them had consumed an vigor portion soon earlier the attack. 

'We would beryllium remiss if we were not sounding the alarm,' the scientists said. 

The Government has plans to present a prohibition connected selling high-caffeine drinks to nether 16s, according to the Labour manifesto.

Many supermarkets person already adopted a voluntary argumentation that stops teenagers from purchasing them.

Now, astir 4 years aft her daughter's death, Ms Barranon is urging others to enactment distant from 'deadly' vigor drinks and calling for a ban.

'If you don't support your kids distant from this worldly you whitethorn beryllium successful my concern wherever your beingness is ruined. 

'It's truthful harmful and deadly, my full household is affected by this.

'I beg radical to counsel your kids and ticker what they're doing, I thought I was.

'I archer everybody I spot with vigor drinks that this is what it tin bash successful the blink of an eye'

Ms Donnell is not the archetypal vigor portion instrumentality believed to person suffered devastating consequences of her habit.

In August 2024, Zach Doran, 18, a steadfast Oklahoma precocious schooler, suffered a fatal bosom onslaught astatine the gym.

His woman attributed the daze onslaught to his relentless usage of caffeine products. 

He had been successful the wont of utilizing some pre-workout supplements and vigor drinks earlier going to the gym.

'[H]e was the healthiest idiosyncratic that I knew successful my beingness and I tin accidental confidently that helium was the healthiest idiosyncratic successful the bulk of people’s lives helium was isolated of,' Ms Gilmore said successful a June Facebook post.

'Because helium was truthful steadfast and acceptable one ne'er truly thought overmuch of it. though knowing the dangers of vigor drinks and however they tin origin bosom problems I ne'er thought Zach would beryllium a portion of this.'

A tiny 2018 survey suggested that consuming conscionable 1 vigor portion could summation your hazard of bosom onslaught and changeable successful 90 minutes.

Researchers from the University of Texas astatine Houston said the drinks constrictive humor vessels, which restricts humor travel to captious organs.

The squad suggested that the antagonistic effect connected humor vessels could beryllium related to the effects of ingredients successful the vigor drinks — including caffeine, taurine, sweetener and different herbals.