An arrhythmia means the heart is beating too fast (tachycardia), too slow (bradycardia), or in an otherwise irregular way. Most arrhythmias don’t cause any problems, but some are serious, even life-threatening. If insufficient blood reaches the brain, heart, and/or other organs, significant damage can occur.
Energy drinks have been shown to increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmias. In the cases of 14-year-old Anais Fournier and 19-year-old Alex Morris, arrhythmias proved fatal.