Man's Heart Stops After Drinking Too Much Red Bull

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Mr. Penbross now says that there should be an overhaul of the warnings on the product's labels. "They say [on energy drink labels] don't have more than this much. But they don't say if you have too much, what will happen."

The Syndney Morning Herald reports that Mr. Penbross is employed as a concreter and it quotes him as saying that he regularly consumes around four Red Bull drinks a day. He said: "With the work I do I don't have a lot of time to eat. I have a couple of Red Bulls in the morning and it carries me through."

He says that last Sunday while he was competing in a motocross event near Port Macquarie, he drank eight Red Bulls over a five hour period. "It was to get a bit of a buzz and keep down my reaction time. You have got to get off [the mark] and around the first corner first."

After finishing his event, the Bonny Hills native felt his heart racing out of control. He collapsed soon after. The paper reports that Penbross's heart stopped and ambulance officers to apply the defibrillator to him.

Now that he is facing up to six weeks off work, Penbross says that the labels on the products should be revamped to alert people that excessive consumption could lead to heart attack and death. Labels currently warn against consuming more than two cans, or 1.5 bottles a day, without describing the consequences.

Dr Malcolm Barlow, a cardiologist who treated Mr Penbross at Newcastle's John Hunter Hospital, said it appeared excessive consumption of energy drinks had precipitated the heart attack.

Dr. Barlow says that Penbross had no other heart attack risk factors other than the fact that he smokes. There is no history of heart disease in his family and it is being reported that "Mr. Penbross is in peak physical condition". Penbross also told the doctor that in the past, he had experienced chest pains when he drank a lot of energy drinks.

Dr. Robert Batey, a spokesman for the New South Wales Health Department, is urging people to be extremely careful of overdosing on products that contain stimulants because drinking large quantities of drinks like this have the potential to cause heart attacks.

"It will raise blood pressure and pulse rate and both of those things put a significant demand on the heart."

A spokeswoman for Red Bull said she was unable to comment on Mr Penbross's case, but that the product label was clear in advising against excessive consumption. She said labelling requirements for energy drinks were set by the Federal Government.

Needless to say, Mr. Penbross has "sworn off Red Bull".

From the Red Bull site, the following is their explanation of the "Benefits" of drinking Red Bull:

Red Bull® Energy Drink is a functional beverage with a unique combination of ingredients. It has been specially developed for times of increased mental and physical exertion.

Red Bull's effects are appreciated throughout the world by top athletes, busy professionals, active students and drivers on long journeys.