The man had no family history of liver disease. After ruling out other likely causes of his infection, medical workers concluded that his liver was damaged from energy drink consumption. The worker was tested for ischemic hepatitis, caused by a lack of blood to the liver, but his organs showed no signs of oxygen shortage, and he had normal renal function. Blood tests for other viral causes of hepatitis were negative. The patient’s blood sample revealed levels of serum folate and vitamin B12 that “exceeded quantifiable limits,” according to the report. Both are present in the energy drinks. Each bottle of the man’s energy drink contained 40 mg of niacin, or 200% of the recommended daily value/. Drinking more than one energy drink could put consumers thousands of times over their daily B-vitamin need. The patient’s liver injury in this case “was directly subsequent to excessive consumption of energy drinks, and resolved on discontinuation of the products,” the report concluded.
