Man had heart attack after drinking up to 12 energy drinks a day for a year

‘Shops should not be selling them to kids. Large supermarkets won't, and the smaller shops need to do the same,’ says Lee Kamen

Lee Kamen was 49 when he suffered his heart attack despite not drinking or smoking (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A man who had a heart attack after having up to 12 energy drinks a day has issued a warning about how “dangerous” the drinks can be.

Lee Kamen, 55, had a cardiac arrest after drinking between eight and 12 cans every day for a year.

Mr Kamen, from Hull, has now said energy drinks should be banned, or at least not sold to anyone under the age of 16, after his 10-year-old daughter was able to buy one.

When he saw her with an energy drink, he “poured it straight down the drain”.

Mr Kamen, who was 49 when he suffered his heart attack despite not drinking or smoking, told the Hull Daily Mail: "I was on eight to 12 a day at the time, I was drinking Red Bull and Monster, I used to go to Makro for the pub and would buy cases of 24 cans and just drink them like any other drink.”

He added: "I was working a lot and drank them to keep me going. This probably went on for about a year.

"One day I collapsed with a heart attack and had to have a stent fitted, I am now on medication for life due to those dangerous drinks.

"When I was in hospital after the heart attack, the doctor told me the energy drink consumption was the cause. I didn't have a clue there was anything wrong with drinking them until then.

"It was a hell of a shock at the time, but now I am passionate about this issue."

Mr Kamen said that when he saw his 10-year-old after school with a can of "Monster in her hand" he “took it straight off her and poured it straight down the drain."

Guidelines say children and adolescents aged 12 to 18-years-old should not drink more than 100mg of caffeine a day - the equivalent of a cup of coffee.

Energy drinks can contain between 50-500mg of caffeine per serving.

Most major supermarkets in the UK have introduced a voluntary ban on the sale of energy drinks to children under 16.

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has previously led a campaign to ban the sale of energy drinks to children.

"Shops should not be selling them to kids” Mr Kamen said. “Large supermarkets won't, and the smaller shops need to do the same. "