Energy Drinks Linked to More Cardiac-Arrest Reports in Young Adults, but Study Does Not Prove Cause

A preliminary study from the American Heart Association found that reports of cardiac arrest appeared about 11 times more often in connection with caffeinated energy drinks and stimulant supplements than in reports involving products without those ingredients. Researchers reviewed 28,345 adverse-event reports submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 2017 and 2025. About 45% of the cardiovascular-event reports involving stimulant products concerned adults ages 18 to 34.

The findings are scheduled to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions, which will take place in Chicago from November 6 to 9. The association emphasized that the research is a conference abstract, not a full peer-reviewed paper. It examines voluntary safety reports rather than tracking all consumers, and it cannot establish that energy drinks or supplements directly caused the reported heart events.

Researchers reviewed more than 28,000 FDA safety reports

The research team analyzed 28,345 records from the FDA’s food-safety adverse-event database. Of those, 854 reports involved energy drinks or dietary supplements containing caffeine or other stimulants. The remaining 27,491 reports involved products without those ingredients, including soft drinks, meal-replacement products, protein bars, smoothies and vitamins.

Cardiac arrest was reported about 11 times more often in the stimulant-related reports than in the comparison reports. Heart attacks appeared about 4.5 times more often, while ventricular arrhythmias or heart palpitations appeared about four times more often. Reports of elevated heart rate were nearly three times as common, chest pain was 2.71 times as common, and fainting was about twice as common.

The figures describe how often conditions appeared in the reports being compared. They do not mean that a person who drinks an energy drink is 11 times more likely to suffer cardiac arrest. The researchers grouped products by ingredients, not by brand, so the findings do not identify a specific drink or manufacturer.

Adults ages 18 to 34 accounted for about 45% of reports

About 45% of the cardiovascular-event reports involving caffeine or stimulant products concerned people between 18 and 34. Similar patterns appeared in reports involving men and women. Researchers said they do not yet know why the younger group accounted for such a large share.

Possible explanations include how frequently younger adults consume these products, whether they use them before intense exercise, whether they combine them with alcohol or other substances, and whether some have undiagnosed heart conditions. The study did not establish which of these factors, if any, explains the pattern.

The researchers also noted that energy drinks are often marketed as everyday beverages for alertness and sold alongside soft drinks and bottled water. Consumers may not always recognize how much caffeine or other stimulants a product contains. Some energy drinks have as much as three times the caffeine per fluid ounce of brewed coffee, while some pre-workout supplements contain more than 12 times as much.

The American Heart Association’s 2026 scientific statement says that up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day is generally considered safe for most adults. That guidance does not mean every person has the same tolerance, and the amount of caffeine in individual products varies.

The analysis cannot show that energy drinks cause cardiac arrest

The most important limitation is that the study relies on voluntary reports. Consumers, healthcare professionals and manufacturers can submit suspected adverse events to the FDA, but researchers do not know how many people used the products without experiencing a problem. They also do not know how many cardiac events were never reported.

For that reason, the number of reports cannot be converted into the actual risk for an individual consumer. The study also did not randomly assign people to consume energy drinks or follow participants over time. It cannot rule out underlying heart conditions, medication use, intense exercise, sleep deprivation or other stimulants as contributing factors.

The American Heart Association said the findings show an association in the reporting data, not proof of causation. The study abstract has not yet been published as a full peer-reviewed paper, and the results should be treated as preliminary until more research is available.

FDA regulates the products as foods or supplements

In the United States, the FDA generally regulates energy drinks and stimulant supplements as foods or dietary supplements rather than as medications. They therefore do not go through the same premarket safety testing required for prescription drugs. The researchers said their findings support more systematic safety monitoring and further research into how different ingredients, doses and patterns of use may affect the heart.

The study’s lead author suggested that healthcare professionals ask younger patients who report palpitations, chest pain or fainting whether they recently or regularly used energy drinks or stimulant supplements. That is a clinical consideration raised by the researchers, not a new diagnostic rule.

Larger studies are needed to measure real-world risk

The confirmed finding is that FDA safety reports involving caffeine- or stimulant-containing products were more likely to mention cardiac arrest, heart attacks and abnormal heart rhythms than reports involving products without those ingredients. About 45% of the stimulant-related cardiovascular reports involved people ages 18 to 34. The analysis did not establish how often these events occur among all consumers.

Future studies will need to follow actual users, record product doses and other risk factors, and compare cardiovascular outcomes across different products and groups. The American Heart Association said more research and stronger safety monitoring are needed before the true cardiovascular risks of energy drinks and stimulant supplements can be determined.