Histological Changes of Stomach and Intestine Induced by Energy Drink (Tiger) in Adult Male Rats

BACKGROUND: Nowadays energy drinks are markedly consumed by young people all over the world but till now there were only few literatures that describe their effect on the stomach and small intestine. AIM: The aim of the current study is to highlight the histopathological changes encountered in the stomach and small intestine that are induced by energy drinks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty adult male albino rats were divided into three groups: a control group given only standard diet and distilled water, a group given a low dose of Tiger energy drink (1 ml/100 mg/rat/day), and a group given a high dose of Tiger energy drink (2 ml/100 mg/rat/day). These drinks were given orally via gastric tube for 1 month duration. RESULTS: Histological assessment of different sections of the stomach and small intestine has revealed parietal cell hyperplasia with congestion of gastric mucosal blood vessels, moreover partial loss of intestinal villi with goblet cell hyperplasia was observed in group treated with low dose of Tiger. Increasing the dose of this drink resulted in mononuclear cell infiltration associated with goblet cell metaplasia which could be an early marker for gastric cancer, furthermore complete loss of intestinal villi and degenerative changes of epithelial cells were seen in intestinal sections. These pathological changes seem to be dose related. CONCLUSION: There is a high risk on the rat’s stomach and small intestine in chronic consumers of energy drinks particularly when taken with no limits. Further work is recommended to delineate the exact mechanism of the pathological findings induced by energy drinks.