Next time you or a colleague are working late, think twice before relying on energy drinks to keep you going. A 40 year-old supermarket worker, Alfredo Duran, suffered a fatal heart attack, allegedly as a result of drinking four cans of energy drink Red Bull a night, every night, to get him through his night shifts.
Each 250ml can of Red Bull is said to contain 80mg of caffeine – the same amount as a cup of filter coffee – and some countries have already banned it.
A post-mortem showed that Duran had an enlarged heart, and according to pathologist Dr Ian Roberts “For an individual with this condition, the risk of problems with the heart is increased by stimulants such as caffeine and may be triggered by levels which would have no effect on people with a normal heart”.
Roberts added that “My feeling is that it was a cardiac arrest possibly contributed to by sub-toxic caffeine ingestion.”
A study in the US last year showed that blood pressure can increase by up to ten per cent if two cans of Red Bull are consumed every day for a week. Britons drank 213 million cans of the energy drink last year.
Treating night workers differently to their daytime colleagues is essential. Addressing their workplace challenges will ensure safety, health and improved productivity.
