Red Bull blamed for young man's heart attack

A young office worker in the UK "addicted" to Red Bull had a heart attack after drinking eight cans on a night out.

Martin Bowling, who said he would wake up thinking of energy drinks, collapsed in a pub.

A bystander managed to revive the 28-year-old before an ambulance arrived.

Hospital doctors later told him he had collapsed as a result of the high caffeine levels in his blood.

A 250ml can of energy drink typically has about 80mg of caffeine, compared with 100mg in a mug of instant coffee and 140mg in a filter coffee. Between 300mg and 400mg of caffeine a day is safe for most healthy adults, according to the European Food Safety Authority.

Mr Bowling said yesterday: "I feel lucky and extremely thankful to be alive. There were no warning signs... I just remember hitting the floor and waking up in hospital. Now I see those drinks as death in a can. I was told a stranger brought me back to life and I have never had the chance to thank them."

The insurance worker had been working 60-hour weeks before suffering the heart attack in June last year and was spending about $168 a week on Red Bull to stay alert.

He added: "I'd been drinking them for about seven years and it was like I'd become mentally addicted.

"I would wake up and think of an energy drink, then go to sleep after an energy drink... Sometimes I could find myself in arguments if I hadn't had one. The amount I was drinking had slowly increased since I started when I was 21. Even when doctors told me high caffeine levels were the cause [of the heart attack] I still wanted a can."

Mr Bowling was treated in hospital and later seen by a specialist in London.

He warned that the cheap price of energy drinks and their widespread availability made it easy for people to become addicted to them.

"When I was a kid you used to buy sweets with spare change," he said. "Now you see children buying 35p energy drinks, but people need to be extremely careful."

Researchers have warned that even one can of Red Bull could increase the risk of heart attacks or strokes in young people. A 2008 study of university students found drinking one 250ml can of the sugar-free version increased "stickiness" of the blood and raised the chance of life-threatening clots.

The drink has been banned previously in Norway, Denmark and Uruguay because of health fears.

Victoria Taylor, a senior dietician at the British Heart Foundation, said: "While drinking moderate amounts of caffeine shouldn't have an impact on your heart health, some people can be more sensitive to its effects. Children and young people are particularly vulnerable."

Red Bull was asked to comment on Mr Bowling's case but referred queries to the British Soft Drinks Association. The organisation's director general, Gavin Partington, said: "Like all food and beverages, energy drinks should be consumed as part of a balanced and varied diet and healthy lifestyle."

- Daily Mail