Fourteen-year-old Anais Fournier downed two 24-ounce energy drinks on one December day, while hanging out with her friends at the mall. The next day, the Maryland teenager went into cardiac arrest -- and just six days later, she was dead. 

Her family stayed at her bedside as doctors induced a coma to keep the teen's brain from swelling.

"We stayed up all night," says her mother, Wendy Crossland of Hagerstown, Md., told NBC's Tom Costello. "I laid in bed next to her all night long.  ... We talked to her and stayed with her.

"She never ever regained consciousness and we never got to say goodbye," her mother says.

The official cause of death, according to the teenager's death certificate, was cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity.

Anais and her family knew she had a common heart condition called mitral valve prolapse, which causes one of the heart's valves to malfunction. The condition, which affects up to 1 in 20 Americans, usually doesn't cause people any problems, and the teenager's doctor felt her case posed little health risk. 

The day before she went into cardiac arrest, Anais's family says she drank two 24-ounce Monster energy drinks, unwittingly guzzling 480 miligrams of caffeine -- that's nearly five times the limit recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. To put it another way: By drinking just two large energy drinks, Anais drank as much caffeine as you'd find in about 14 cans of Coke.

Monster tells NBC News, "we vehemently deny that drinking two cans of Monster Energy by itself can cause a death from caffeine toxicity." The company also points out that their beverages contain less caffeine than some of the drinks sold at Starbucks and other coffee shops.

But whatever the source of the caffeine buzz, some health experts question how much of the stuff kids should be drinking -- if they should be drinking it at all.

"Between the caffeine, the sugar, its effects on blood pressure, potential adverse effects, I think it's really difficult to justify a case for children, young adults to be using these substances right now," Dr. Allen Taylor, chief of cardiology at Georgetown University Hospital, told NBC News.

Emergency rooms across the country have seen a dramatic spike in caffeine overdoses, up from 1,128 in 2005 to 16,055 in 2008 and 13,114 in 2009, according to a recent report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Critics of the energy drink craze have argued that the marketing of the beverages, with names like Monster, Red Bull and Rockstar, seems designed to appeal to teenagers and young adults. Costello spoke to University of Maryland researcher Amelia Arria, who has studied the effects of energy drinks on young people. "Individuals don't really know how much caffeine they're consuming because the label does not require disclosure of caffeine content," Arria says.

The Food and Drug Administration regulates the amount of caffeine in soda, but not in energy drinks -- the latter are considered a dietary supplement, not a food. But the American Beverage Association says it has adopted voluntary policies when it comes to issues like nutritional labeling, and marketing energy drinks toward kids.

Some energy drink makers do label their beverages with warnings. But doctors like Taylor, at Georgetown University, have warnings of their own for concerned parents: "Is your child the one who has a predisposing condition where these could be truly dangerous? Is it worth the call from the emergency room?"

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A diet rich in citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruits, may reduce women's risk of stroke, a new study says.

In the study, women who ate the most citrus fruit had a 19 percent lower risk of having an ischemic stroke than women who ate the least. In an ischemic stroke, blood flow to the brain is blocked, sometimes by clogged arteries.

While other studies have looked at the benefits of eating fruit in general, in the new study, the researchers looked at different types of fruit. Prior research has shown that compounds called flavonoids found in fruit — and also in vegetables, dark chocolate and red wine — may benefit health, but not all flavonoids appear to have the same effect on stroke.

In the new study, there was no link between overall flavonoids consumption and stroke risk, the researchers said.

But citrus fruit contains a subgroup of flavaonoids, called flavanones, and it's these compounds that the new study linked with lower stroke risk.

While flavanones can be found in citrus juices, the researchers recommended eating more citrus fruit, rather than drinking more juice, because commercial fruit juices tend to contain a lot of sugar.

The study will be published in April issue of the Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

The study followed 69,622 women for 14 years, with participants reporting their food intake (including details on fruit and vegetable consumption) every four years. The researchers examined analyzed the women's diets, looking for the six main subclasses of flavonoids — flavanones, anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, flavonoid polymers, flavonols and flavones.

Flavanones may reduce risk of stroke through several mechanisms, including improving blood vessel health and countering inflammation, said study researcher Aedín Cassidy, a professor of nutrition at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom.

Previous studies on fruit consumption and stroke risk have had mixed results. For instance, one study found a link between increased consumption of white fruits like apples and pears and lower stroke risk, but found no link for yellow and orange fruits.

More studies are needed to confirm the association between flavanone consumption and stroke risk, and to gain a better understanding of the link, the researchers said.

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By Latesha Campbell and Tatiana Quiroga
Women’s Health

1. Eat more plants and fish.

Stock up on colorful foods that are rich in heart-healthy antioxidants, such as pomegranates, blueberries, tomatoes, and spinach. Antioxidants decrease your risk of heart disease because of the anti-inflammatory effect they have on the blood vessels, says Marisa Moore, R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. They help get rid of the plaque buildup in the arteries, keeping vessels clear.

Many fruits and vegetables, such as oranges, bananas, and mushrooms, are also high in potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure. Moore recommends eating five to nine servings a day of fruits and vegetables, making sure you have three different vegetables and two kinds of fruit. "A variety gives you a healthy balance of the nutrients you need," Moore says.

Also learn to navigate your grocery's seafood section, and make it a habit to include fatty fish like salmon, sardines, or rainbow trout in your diet. Moore says adding a four-ounce serving of fish like these to your menu twice a week is a great way to get your omega-3 fatty acids. These help reduce the risk of heart disease by decreasing your blood pressure and triglycerides. 

The Best Packaged Fruits and Veggies

2. Cut the fat.

A diet that's low in fat is like a warrior's shield against heart disease. Decrease your saturated fat intake to no more than 7 percent of your daily calories. You'll find it in butter, meat, and whole-fat dairy products, says Nieca Goldberg, M.D., director of the Women's Heart Center at New York University's Langone Medical Center.

Try to eliminate trans fats from your diet too. They're the worst offenders, not only raising levels of bad cholesterol but also lowering levels of good cholesterol. Only 1 percent of your daily diet should consist of trans fats. Foods such as margarine, oils, fried foods, and pastries are prime spots for this heart foe, so beware. 

Try These Heart-Healthy Meals

3. Know your risk.

It's important to see your physician to check for high cholesterol, elevated blood sugar, and signs of diabetes.

Blood pressure should be less than 120/80 for women, Goldberg says. Plus, being aware of your specific risk factors for cardiovascular disease can help guide your diet and fitness goals.

Another way to assess your risk is to know your family's history. Your risk is increased if women in your family under 65, or men under 50, have had heart disease, Goldberg says. It rises 17 percent if your father has had heart disease, and skyrockets to 43 percent if your mother was afflicted. And even if you follow a healthy diet and exercise regimen, your risk could rise to as much as 82 percent if both of your parents had heart disease.

Knowing your numbers and risks allows you to be proactive about your health, says Michelle A. Albert, M.D., associate physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "It also means you're going to take some action against that risk. That action may be drug therapy or changing your behavior," she says. 

What You Don’t Know About Heart Disease 

4. Move your feet.

Not up for an intense workout? Even walking for 30 minutes a day can help strengthen your heart.

Exercise can increase your high-density lipoprotein, commonly known as "good" cholesterol, and decrease your low-density lipoprotein, also known as "bad" cholesterol. These two kinds of cholesterol, combined with triglycerides, form your total cholesterol count, which should be less than 200.

LDL should be less than 100, and HDL should be above 50 for women, says American Heart Association spokesperson Anjanette Ferris, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center. The more you exercise, the better your chances of reducing your cholesterol. 

Get Moving! Easy Ways to Keep Your Heart Pumping

5. Stop smoking.

It's time to give up cigarettes. For good. Besides the fact that they cause cancer, are expensive, and just plain smell bad, they could very well kill you. Smokers are two to four times more likely to develop coronary heart disease. Since that's the leading cause of death in the United States, why keep up the bad habit? Smoking tobacco narrows arteries, raises blood pressure, and thickens blood, making it more likely to clot—the perfect recipe for a heart attack.

And if you don't care enough about your own health to stop, think of how you are affecting the health of those around you. Exposure to secondhand smoke can cause heart disease even in nonsmokers. 

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By Andrew Winner

 For anyone who has felt like their heart might explode after a spin class, the truth might not be that far off -- biochemically speaking, that is. New research out of Sweden has shown an hour of spinning triggers the same biochemical reactions as a heart attack. 

Research from the University of Gothenburg has shown that spin workouts and other forms of strenuous exercise can secrete the same enzymes into the bloodstream as a heart attack, increasing the possibility of a misdiagnosis. The results will be published in the Scandinavian Cardiovascular Journal.

According to study author Smita DuttaRoy, any manner of taxing physical exertion can cause a similar increase in cardiac biomarkers, including marathon running, triathlons and long-distance bike rides. However, the effect is probably as natural as it is harmless, and enzyme levels generally move back down to baseline levels within 24 hours.

Nevertheless, doctors and emergency personnel should be aware of the link between these cardiac biomarkers, as they are known, when making diagnoses and initiating treatments.

“We haven't studied whether elevated cardiac enzyme levels post-exercise are dangerous, however we don't have any reasons to believe that these levels suggest any actual damage to the heart,” DuttaRoy wrote in an e-mail. “The pattern of cardiac enzyme level elevation post-exercise with a quick normalization (within 24 hours), is different from a heart attack, where the cardiac enzymes often stay elevated for days.” 

“The increase in troponin we found after a spinning session most probably demonstrates a physiological response to exercise that we have now been able to show,” she added.

DuttaRoy’s study put ten healthy people, average age of 30, through a one-hour spin workout. Simple blood tests were done before the session, one hour after the session, and again 24 hours later. The tests showed elevated levels of the cardiac biomarker troponin T, with two participants surpassing the threshold routinely used for heart attacks. A key different is that the levels went back to normal one day later, whereas heart attack victims can see their troponin T levels stay raised for several days after the event.

In a healthy heart, troponins are involved in the contraction of the heart muscle.

What’s the best course of action? DuttaRoy advises disclosing any recent physical activity to your care provider when being treated for chest pains. It’s possible that an elevated number of cardiac biomarkers could cause a misdiagnosis.

“People should seek medical advice if they have chest pain, no matter if it is following exercise, rest or other activities,” DuttaRoy cautioned. “However, the attending physicians should be aware of that troponins can be elevated following strenuous exercise and should take that in account when assessing the patient.”

Have you cried yet today? No? Here, we can fix that.

Ben Breedlove, an 18-year-old high school senior in Austin, Texas, died on Christmas Day of a heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, something he'd had all of his life. But he left behind two wordless videos on his YouTube channel, in which he used a series of note cards with handwritten messages to tell his life story, including the three times he "cheated death." His family discovered the videos in the hours after his death, reports NBC's Austin, Texas, affiliate station, KXAN.

"The first time I cheated death was when I was 4," Ben silently says with his notecards. During the videos, the haunting, minimalist cover of the 1980s hit "Mad World," composed by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules for the 2001 film "Donnie Darko," plays.  "I had a life-threatening siezure (sic). Scary right? I don't remember too much from that day. Except one thing that I will never forget."

He says he remembers being rushed down the hallway in a wheelchair, with nurses and his mother beside him, when he looked up -- and saw a blindingly bright light. He pointed it out to his mother, who didn't see anything there. 

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy causes the patient's heart muscles to thicken, making it harder for blood to leave the heart, which means the heart must work harder to pump enough blood. It's a condition that can affect all ages, but it's most severe in younger patients -- like Ben. 

Later in the videos, Ben tells us about a second near-death experience he had this summer: He went into cardiac arrest while having a routine tonsil surgery. "It was a miracle they brought me back," says the notecard. As he takes it down, Ben flashes an adorable grin. The next card read, "I was scared to die, but am SO glad I didn't." (Cue a second adorable smile.) "After this I tried so hard to just forget about it and not worry." 

Those smiles caught the eye of Ben's dad, Shawn Breedlove. He tells KXAN, "One of the things I noticed about that video is he was very confident in what he was sharing that day. And he wasn't sad when he made that video.

"I spoke to a friend who was in the room with him when he made that video and he was just enjoying what he was doing but it was obviously a very serious subject matter for him to discuss and for him to share with other people."

Earlier this month, Ben "cheated death" a third time -- he passed out at school. He regained consciousness, though he couldn't move or speak, to find himself surrounded by paramedics. 

"I heard them say, 'he's not breathing, his heart is stopped & he has no pulse."

"I really thought to myself, this is it. I'm dying." 

This time, he had a detailed dream, or vision: He was in a white room that had no walls. "I was wearing a really nice suit, and so was my fav rapper, Kid Cudi." (Another adorable grin.) "Why he was the only one there with me, I'm still trying to figure out." Ben's favorite Kid Cudi song, "Mr. Rager," started to play. The song contains the lyrics, "When will the fantasy end? When will the heaven begin?" At those words, the vision of Kid Cudi told Ben, "Go now." 

Ben woke up, but the last four notecards in the video say: 

"I didn't want to leave that place." 

"I wish I NEVER woke up." 

"Do you believe in angels or God?"

"I do." 

Kid Cudi himself heard of his role in Ben's dream, and responded to the teenager's videos on his Tumblr. 

Iam so sad about Ben Breedlove. I watched the video he left for the world to see, and him seeing me in detail, in his vision really warmed my heart. I broke down, Iam to tears because I hate how life is so unfair. This has really touched my heart in a way I cant describe, this is why I do what I do. Why I write my life, and why I love you all so much. Life is really @!$%#ed up sometimes, but I know Ben is at Peace, and I hope he gets a chance to sit and talk with my Dad. We love you Ben. Forever. Thank you for loving me. To Ben’s family, you raised a real hero, he’s definately mine. You have my love.

Other viewers have posted on Ben's YouTube channel messages for Ben and the Breedlove family:

"You will be missed dearly. You are a YouTuber who will never die in our memories."

"nothing but love and good wishes sending to your family and friends. RIP ben. you made a difference in this world!"

His mother, Deanne Breedlove, says her son died after the family opened their Christmas presents.

"I just think Ben opened doors for a lot of people to think about something that maybe they've never thought about before," Deanne Breedlove told KXAN. "And that to me is a wonderful gift."

Share your words of support for Ben's family over on our Facebook page. 

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