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Deadly Cocktail
Caffeine-related fatal heart disturbance
September 6, 2001 - Doctors from Western Australia report that a
25-year-old woman died of a heart rhythm upset after drinking a "natural" health
food product containing guarana. The woman collapsed soon after finishing a bottle of
drink containing guarana and ginseng, and could not be revived. She had previously seen
her family doctor about palpititations (odd chest sensations) and had been told to stop
drinking coffee. Later blood tests showed extremely high caffeine levels in her blood.
Guarana seeds contain high levels of caffeine, which can interfere with normal heart
rhythm. In this case, the patient was probably more sensitive to the effects of caffeine.
The level in her bloodstream was equivalent to drinking approximately 20 cups of coffee.
The product associated with the death of this patient was withdrawn from the market but
others containing guarana remain available. The heart condition in this patient occurs in
about one in forty people.
Products For Weight
Loss Or Increased Energy Can Be Deadly, Warn Poison Control Experts
Consumers need to be extremely cautious about drinking or eating off-the-shelf products
that promise weight loss, increased energy, or enhanced athletic performance, advise
experts with the California Poison Control System (CPCS).
"In early April, the death of a woman in Southern California allegedly was linked
to her use of a product containing several stimulants known to increase heart rate and
blood pressure. Since news of that tragedy, we have received several calls about these
types of products, which are often sold as 'dietary supplements' or 'metabolic
enhancers'," said Christine Haller, MD, a consultant with CPCS and a fellow in
medical toxicology at UC San Francisco and the SF Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
"People should not assume that any dietary supplement is safe just because it is
labeled 'natural' or 'herbal,'" she said. "Many contain active ingredients that
can be dangerous to certain individuals because of their current health condition or
because of medications they are taking. Any person considering using one of these products
should consult a physician first."
Since January 1, CPCS has been monitoring its calls about adverse reactions associated
with dietary supplements as part of a nationwide multi-center trial. Haller is
collaborating on the study with Kent Olson, MD, a CPCS medical toxicologist and UCSF
professor of pharmacy, medicine, and pediatrics. Many of these products are marked
"thermogenic" and marketed with claims of being able to alter one's metabolism,
according to Haller. Product ingredients often include ma huang, a Chinese herbal product
that contains the drug ephedrine, and guarana, a plant seed that contains caffeine.
"The combination of ephedrine and caffeine is known to cause increased heart rate
and blood pressure, as well as nervousness, insomnia, nausea, and vomiting," said
Haller. "Adverse effects related to products that contain ephedrine have included
stroke, heart attack, seizures, and even death." Olson emphasized that consumers need
to be aware that dietary supplement products are considered neither food nor drugs from a
legal standpoint. "Therefore, they are not regulated by the Food and Drug
Administration. Manufacturers are solely responsible for product quality, and toxicity may
be related to product impurities, contaminants, or high levels of active
ingredients," he said.
CPCS is under the administration of the UCSF School of Pharmacy and serves all 33
million California residents.
The CPCS toll-free hotline service has four sites across the state: Valley Children's
Hospital in Fresno, UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, UC San Diego Medical Center,
and the UCSF-affiliated San Francisco General Hospital.
The statewide number to call in the event of a poison emergency is 1-800-876-4766
(1-800-8-POISON).
Source: University
Of California, San Francisco |