A 50-year-old man developed a severe case of hepatitis that caused his skin to turn yellow after consuming large quantities of energy drinks for several weeks.
For about three weeks, the construction worker drank four to five energy drinks a day as he worked at an intense job, according to the British Medical Journal. After three weeks, he ended up hospitalized with vomiting, yellow skin, dark urine, and other signs of liver damage. Tests showed he had severe hepatitis.
The man’s medical condition was likely due to vitamin B3 or niacin contained in the drinks, doctors said. The yellowing of his skin was due to jaundice, which happens when the liver is damaged, and a biopsy confirmed the hepatitis C diagnosis. The man's disease was caused by the toxic levels of niacin, not contracted from another person, Gizmodo noted.
Many energy drinks contain these levels of niacin, but don’t cause toxicity unless consumed at much higher than recommended levels. Niacin is found naturally in green vegetables, eggs, and meat. The nutrient can improve liver function as well as cholesterol levels when consumed in safe amounts.
The man was treated and has recovered from his condition. He was warned to avoid products containing high amounts of niacin in the future, Gizmodo said.
The daily amount the man had consumed was below toxic levels, but it accumulated in his system and caused his problems. Before turning yellow, he had not altered any other parts of his diet other than adding the energy drinks.
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