Man Developed Hepatitis From Excessive Energy Drink Diet

According to BMJ, the previously healthy man was a 50-year-old construction worker who had been drinking four to five energy drinks daily for three weeks to get through work. As a result, the man reportedly started feeling tired and started having abdominal pains. His symptoms worsened, but he disregarded them, thinking it was the flu. Once the man’s urine became dark and his skin started to turn yellow from jaundice, he went to the emergency department.

The abdominal pains and jaundice were confirmed when the man got a physical examination. Gizmodo wrote, “…lab tests revealed high levels of transaminases—liver enzymes indicative of damage and evidence of chronic hepatitis C infection.” The hepatitis was confirmed after a liver biopsy was performed.

Doctors figured the hepatitis was developed from the excessive number of energy drinks, which contain niacin a.k.a. vitamin B3. Although the brand of energy drinks the man was consuming wasn’t revealed, Gizmodo noted popular energy drinks like Red Bull, Monster, and Rockstar all contain niacin.  Doctors believed it the problems were the result of the drinks’ niacin levels. Each energy drink had 40 mg of niacin—double the recommended daily intake.

Article Appeared @http://www.complex.com/life/2016/11/man-develops-hepatitis-from-too-many-energy-drinks

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