Energy drinks have become a common pick-me-up, marketed as quick fixes for sharper focus, improved alertness, and instant energy. Whether you are working late or driving for hours, grabbing a can may feel like the easiest way to stay awake. Yet once that caffeine rush fades, what lasting effects does it leave on your heart, brain, and sleep?

The FDA has received several reports connecting energy drink intake to deaths and serious side effects such as spikes in blood pressure, seizures, and irregular heart rhythms. Many of these incidents required hospital treatment.

Between 2022 and 2023, America’s Poison Centers recorded a 24.2% rise in cases of children and teenagers under 20 being exposed to energy drinks. Worryingly, around 78% of these were accidental, most youngsters did not realize how much caffeine they were consuming or even that their drink contained it.

How Energy Drinks Can Overstimulate Your Heart

Studies have shown that energy drinks can disrupt normal heart rhythm. People who consume them often experience higher blood pressure and irregular heart activity that can last for several hours, which may increase the chance of dangerous arrhythmias.

Caffeine stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, raising heart rate and blood pressure. But unlike coffee, energy drinks combine caffeine with other stimulants such as guarana, taurine, and L-carnitine, which amplify caffeine’s impact, according to researchers at Jefferson Health.

They also note that one can of an energy drink may contain far more caffeine than a standard 8-ounce cup of coffee. The FDA generally considers up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day to be safe for healthy adults with no heart problems.

Although experts points out that the caffeine difference between coffee and energy drinks may not appear large, labels can be misleading. A cup of coffee contains about 90 mg of caffeine, while energy drinks can range from 100 to 350 mg, sometimes even more when a single can holds multiple servings. Reading labels carefully helps you understand how much caffeine you are really consuming.

Energy Drinks Contain Excess Calories

Along with caffeine, these drinks are often loaded with sugar and calories. Many specialty coffees, packed with syrups, whipped cream, and heavy dairy, fall into the same category. Regularly consuming such beverages increases the risk of weight gain, obesity, and type 2 diabetes, all of which harm heart health.

Dr. Reginald Ho, a cardiologist, explains that over time, this pattern can lead to high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, and other cardiovascular diseases.

Energy Drinks Can Lead to Stroke Issues

Energy drinks may also raise the risk of stroke. A stroke is often described as a “heart attack in the brain.” One condition linked to these drinks is reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS), which involves sudden spasms in the brain’s blood vessels that can either restrict blood flow or cause bleeding, as noted by the Cleveland Clinic.

Caffeine blocks adenosine, the chemical that helps the brain relax, so even when you feel tired, your mind remains overstimulated. This disruption affects your sleep cycle and can cause poor memory, low concentration, mood swings, anxiety, and even depression.

Can You Mix Energy Drinks With Alcohol?

Health experts have repeatedly warned against mixing alcohol with energy drinks. The FDA has stated that adding caffeine to alcohol makes for an “unsafe additive.”

Caffeine’s stimulant effect masks alcohol’s depressant properties, allowing people to drink more without feeling its sedative impact. This can lead to misjudging one’s level of intoxication and even driving while impaired.

While energy drinks may promise a quick fix for fatigue, their risks to the heart, brain, and sleep are real. Choosing natural ways to stay energized, through rest, hydration, and balanced nutrition, is far better for long-term health.

You have probably heard of green matcha, the bright green tea powder packed with antioxidants and health benefits. But have you come across its strikingly blue counterpart, known as blue matcha? This trendy ingredient — a vivid blue powder — has been popping up on social media in everything from smoothies to cocktails. While blue matcha doesn’t offer the exact same benefits as green matcha, this indigo-hued powder could lift your mood in other ways. So, is blue matcha a superdrink or just a passing health trend? Let’s break it down.

What is Blue Matcha?

Blue matcha comes from the flower of the butterfly pea plant. According to the Cleveland Clinic, “Blue matcha is usually found in powdered form, but sometimes it’s sold as a tea to brew,” explains Romito. “It’s quite different from green matcha, but because it’s consumed in a similar way, that’s likely how it got the matcha name.” Blue matcha also offers a visual perk, making it a favorite in drinks and cocktails. “It’s a chameleon in a cup,” Romito says. “When its antioxidants mix with acidic ingredients like lemonade, it can shift from blue to purple or even pink.”

Health Benefits of Blue Matcha

While it’s fun to play with in drinks, blue matcha does have some potential health perks, Romito notes, according to the Cleveland Clinic:

It’s caffeine-free

Green matcha is loaded with caffeine, making it perfect for a morning boost. Blue matcha, however, has no caffeine. “This is ideal if you avoid caffeine or are sensitive to it,” Romito points out.

It’s rich in anthocyanins

Anthocyanins are the pigments that give foods like cherries, pomegranates, eggplants, and red cabbage their deep blue or purple color. While research is ongoing, these antioxidants may help with:

• Lowering blood pressure
• Reducing the risk of heart disease
• Protecting against neurological conditions
• Slowing cancer growth

“Blue matcha works like any other food with these antioxidants,” Romito emphasizes. “It doesn’t give you more benefits than eating blueberries or purple sweet potatoes. It’s best to include a variety of blue and purple foods in your diet.”

Blue Matcha: Potential Risks or Side Effects

Overall, blue matcha appears safe for most people. Regarding allergies, registered dietitian Natalie Romito, RD, LD, advises that anyone allergic to flowers should start with small amounts to see how their body reacts. She also cautions against overdoing it.

“Too much of anything isn’t good,” Romito says. “Stick to about one serving of blue matcha a day. If it causes nausea or digestive issues, your body might not tolerate it well. In that case, you can rely on other blue and purple foods to get the same antioxidants.”

Adding blue matcha to coffee, tea, cocktails, and other foods can make them more visually appealing. While it does have some health benefits, more research is needed to fully understand its potential.

“If you enjoy blue matcha, that’s great,” Romito concludes. “But don’t replace other blue and purple foods with it. Keep eating blueberries, beets, and grapes. Blue matcha can be a fun addition, but it shouldn’t replace the nutritional value of other foods.”

Tiktok fibremaxxing wellness trend: There is no shortage of wellness trends online that claim to transform your health, but a new one has taken over social media with a focus on gut health. It’s called “fibremaxxing,” and its premise is simple: eat more fibre to improve digestion, metabolism, immunity, and lower the risk of disease. On TikTok and Instagram, the trend often appears as colourful lentil bowls, chia puddings, and smoothies loaded with leafy greens and flaxseeds. But how much of this viral trend is actually backed by science?

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The idea of increasing both soluble and insoluble fibre isn’t new, yet fibremaxxing has made it trendy again—and this time, for good reason. Fibre is vital to everyday health, supporting everything from steady blood sugar to regular bowel movements. Here’s what experts say about this growing movement and why fibre truly matters.

What Is Fibremaxxing?

Fibremaxxing is a social media movement that encourages people to boost their fibre intake by adding more fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains to every meal. The goal is to improve digestion, promote fullness, and support long-term health. According to Dr. Urvi Shah, a board-certified hematologist-oncologist and physician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the concept behind fibremaxxing is largely rooted in scientific evidence. Dr. Shah, who is leading multiple studies on high-fibre plant-based diets, notes that the approach aligns well with established nutrition research.

Is ‘Fibremaxxing’ Good Or Bad For Your Gut?

High-fibre diets are consistently linked to a wide range of health benefits, from lowering the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and colon cancer to aiding weight control and gut function. That’s why Dr. Shah believes fibremaxxing gets several aspects right.

She explains that including a wide variety of plant-based, high-fibre foods is essential because “different fibre types feed different microbes.” A diverse diet helps nurture a balanced microbiome. She adds that the trend’s emphasis on whole foods rather than processed or fibre-enriched items is a major plus. “Whole plants provide fibre, polyphenols, and micronutrients that work together to support the gut,” she says. Prebiotic-rich foods also help shape a healthier microbiota and increase the production of beneficial short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, which has “anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects.”

Simply put, upping your fibre intake through natural, unprocessed foods, rather than supplements, can make a real difference to gut health.

What’s The Daily Recommended Amount of Fibre Intake?

Experts suggest that adults should consume between 25 and 30 grams of fibre each day. Men typically require more (around 38 grams), while women need about 25 grams. These numbers can vary depending on age, sex, and calorie intake, but a general guideline is 14 grams of fibre for every 1,000 calories eaten, according to Harvard Health.

How To Add Fibre To Your Diet?

Plant-based foods are the easiest way to increase your fibre intake, this could mean starting your morning with oats or simply adding more vegetables to your meals. Dietitian Laura Tilt notes that several everyday foods are surprisingly high in fibre:

• Rolled porridge oats – 4.5g per 50g (half cup)
• Canned chickpeas – 7g per half can
• Seeded bread – 5g per two slices
• Canned lentils – 6g per half can
• Frozen peas – 4.5g per 80g (3 tbsp)
• Frozen raspberries – 5.5g per 80g (3 tbsp)
• Wholemeal pasta – 6.5g per 75g serving
• Dried apricots – 3g per 3–4 pieces
• Reduced salt/sugar baked beans – 7.5g per half can
• Mixed milled seeds (flax, pumpkin, chia) – 4.5g per 25g

Is Fibremaxxing Helpful?

There’s no doubt fibre plays an essential role in maintaining good health. But like any nutrient, too much of it can cause problems if not balanced properly. A sudden surge in fibre intake without enough water can lead to bloating, gas, constipation, dehydration, or even trigger IBS symptoms. Over-focusing on fibre might also cause you to overlook other nutrients your body needs. The key is moderation, fibre is beneficial, but it works best as part of a balanced, varied diet.

If you landed here, the reason is that you are also someone who cannot tolerate milk, but loves yogurt, and are probably wondering why is that?

The logic is that if you have lactose intolerance, you won't be able to digest any dairy product, but with yogurt, your life is easy. The answer lies in the components of the two various dairy products that come from the same source.

Why Can't You Digest Milk?

The reason is because you are lactose intolerant. This is a condition that makes it hard to digest the sugar in milk and milk products, called lactose. People with lactose intolerance could have diarrhea, gas and bloating after they consume milk. While this condition is usually harmless, it can cause discomfort.

This happens because the enzymes in the small intestine, called lactase is responsible for lactose intolerance. If someone has too low levels of lactase, the person can become lactose intolerant.

The small intestine and colon are parts of the digestive tract, which processes the foods you eat. The intestine pull out nutrients from the food and whatever is not absorbed by the intestines continues along the digestive tract and is expelled as stool during a bowel movement.

But Why Can You Digest Yogurt, If You Cannot Digest Milk?

The answer to this lies in the fermentation process that turns milk into curd and breaks down much of the lactose, which is the sugar, that is often difficult to digest. The probiotic bacteria used to make curd contain their own lactase, which helps in the breakdown of lactose, and this can further help with digestion even for those who do not produce enough lactase on their own.

Furthermore, during fermentation, the bacteria in curd, called the Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus convert lactose into lactic acid, which is easier for the body to process. This helps your body to digest curd easily over milk. Since the bacteria contains lactase, which the milk lacks, some people may find it easier to digest curd or yogurt over milk.

The bacterial cells also physically protect their lactase, and it can work to break down the lactose from the curd as it passes through the digestive system.

Why Is Curd Gut-Friendly?

The key to a healthy gut health is lactobacillus, a kind of probiotic, which helps in digestion, suppression of disease-causing bacteria and treats constipation. It also is beneficial in treating irritable bowel syndrome. It breaks down sugar into lactic acid.

A study by a Bhubaneswar-based professor Balamurugan Ramdas also revealed that Bengal or Odisha's popular breakfast Panta Bhaat, which includes fermented cooked rice, also releases the same bacteria, that fermented milk releases and so it contains short-chain fatty acids, which are responsible for improving gut health and boosting immunity.

Furthermore, curd is known to balance the gut flora, probiotics improve digestion, and the absorption of nutrition. They also help in the breakdown of food, reducing issues like bloating, gas, and constipation. The probiotics in curd can help restore the natural balance in your gut, which can soothe an upset stomach and alleviate discomfort from indigestion. A healthy gut is closely linked to a strong immune system, and the probiotics in curd help to boost gut health, which in turn can enhance immunity.