Ask a doctor on the topic of General medicine

Heart rhythm disorders Energy drinks Taurine

September 1, 2016 | 40,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Dear medical team,

I am reaching out to you with a rather unusual question. I am a 30-year-old male, non-smoker, 184 cm tall, and weigh 98 kg. Since my 18th birthday, I have been suffering from recurring heart rhythm disorders (by the way, just like my mother). I have already undergone a complete check-up and the result was inconclusive. On some days, especially when stressed, I experience an increased number of ectopic heartbeats. Since my 18th birthday, I have also experienced sudden episodes of heart palpitations about 1-2 times a year. On one occasion when I had an attack and went to the hospital, a suspicion of AV node reentry tachycardia was diagnosed. I can usually stop these episodes with the Valsalva maneuver and since they occur only 1-2 times a year, I have been able to cope with them well so far. I have noticed that these heart episodes tend to occur more often when I have consumed too much caffeine or have been on a low-calorie diet for several days.

Now, onto my actual question. Normally, energy drinks are considered very harmful as I have always researched online. And one doesn't need to be a professional to see that energy drinks are not healthy. BUT, when I consume energy drinks, I am about 95% free of ectopic heartbeats, and my heart condition improves noticeably (e.g. heart rate). This is very strange to me because it should be the other way around, right? For example, when I drink coffee, ectopic heartbeats start immediately, but with energy drinks, it's the opposite. I have read something about the effectiveness of taurine. Could it really be that the taurine in energy drinks is helping me so well? I don't want to consume energy drinks for the rest of my life because it can't be healthy, so I thought about taking taurine isolated as a dietary supplement instead. What do you think about that? Why do you think I feel better when, oddly enough, I consume energy drinks? Could it be due to the vitamin B12? I highly doubt it.

I would be very grateful for any advice you can give me.

Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Hello,

This is an interesting discovery! In fact, taurine has a membrane-stabilizing effect, which also stabilizes heart rhythm. It may even have an anxiety-relieving effect (although I do not know if you have a certain underlying nervousness or anxiety issue; you did mention that it gets worse under stress).

It is no coincidence that you noticed an improvement with energy drinks. However, as you mentioned, the caffeine contained in them is counterproductive and the high sugar content is also unhealthy. Since taurine alone is not harmful, unless taken in extremely high doses, you could try using capsules.

Even healthier would be to avoid caffeine as much as possible and learn stress management techniques, so you do not need any "antidote" at all.

I wish you all the best!

Warm regards, Dr. Höllering