Effects of Energy Drink Acute Assumption in Gastrointestinal Tract of Rats

Abstract

Energy drinks (EDs) are non-alcoholic beverages containing high amounts of caffeine and other psychoactive substances. EDs also contain herbal extract whose concentration is usually unknown. EDs can have several adverse effects on different organs and systems, but their effects on the gastrointestinal (GI) tract have been poorly investigated. To determine the acute effects of EDs on the GI tract, we administered EDs, coffee, soda cola, or water to Sprague–Dawley rats (n = 7 per group, randomly assigned) for up to five days, and analyzed the histopathological changes in the GI tract. Data were compared among groups by Kruskal–Wallis or Mann–Whitney tests. We found that, while EDs did not cause any evident acute lesion to the GI tract, they triggered eosinophilic infiltration in the intestinal mucosa; treatment with caffeine alone at the same doses found in EDs leads to the same effects, suggesting that it is caffeine and not other substances present in the EDs that causes this infiltration. The interruption of caffeine administration leads to the complete resolution of eosinophilic infiltration. As no systemic changes in pro-inflammatory or immunomodulating molecules were observed, our data suggest that caffeine present in ED can cause a local, transient inflammatory status that recruits eosinophils.

Evaluation of the Effects of Instant Cascara Beverage on the Brain-Gut Axis of Healthy Male and Female Rats

“…In the present study, we have exposed the animals to IC for 3 weeks. Although many studies have used this time frame or even shorter [ 73 , 74 ], in other studies, the time of exposure is longer [ 45 , 46 , 75 , 76 ]. Thus, there is no homogeneity in the exposure time in the in vivo preclinical studies of the effects of beverages.…”

The Dark Side of Energy Drinks: A Comprehensive Review of Their Impact on the Human Body

“…Nasi and colleagues [ 136 ] investigated the possible negative effect of energy drinks on the gastrointestinal tract by administering different substances to rats for five consecutive days. They did not observe any acute lesions in the gastrointestinal tract, but they did observe an eosinophilic infiltration in the intestinal mucosa.…”

Assessment of the Severity and the Remission Criteria in Eosinophilic Esophagitis

“…The diagnosis of EoE requires the presence of >15 eos/hpf [1][2][3]. However, the transitional eosinophilia of the esophageal mucosa may be attributed to caffeine exposure [84]. Currently, there is no uniform definition of the histological response to the treatment of EoE, and the histological criteria of the remission vary in different studies.…”