BATON ROUGE — Most energy drinks contain stimulating ingredients in addition to high amounts of caffeine, which are not regulated by the FDA.

Researchers have looked into the risks of consuming energy drinks by people with genetic heart issues.

"The healthy heart can handle these chemicals just fine — of course, in moderation. The fragile heart may not be able to,” Michael Ackerman, a genetic cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic, said.

Ackerman led a study looking into the effects of energy drinks on the heart. He warns that while
energy drinks may not directly cause cardiac arrest, consuming them, especially in large quantities, can be a "perfect storm" for people with genetic heart conditions.

"And maybe you've been sleep-deprived, and now you're taking the energy drink. Then maybe that is going to be the 1-2-3 punch that puts that heart — where normally those chemicals wouldn't have annoyed it — to now where it finally trips up the heart into that potentially life-threatening arrhythmia,” Ackermann said.

He says it's not a strong link but a call to be aware.

"It's a call to being alert and aware and informing your health care provider if you are consuming these drinks,” Ackermann said.