Preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's 2026 Scientific Sessions suggests a link between caffeinated energy drinks and increased reports of cardiac arrest and heart attacks in adults aged 18 to 34.
Preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2026 indicates that caffeinated energy drinks and stimulant supplements are associated with higher reporting of cardiac arrest and heart attack, particularly among adults between the ages of 18 and 34.
Researchers analyzed 28,345 adverse-event reports submitted to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety database between 2017 and 2025. The analysis compared 854 reports involving caffeine- or stimulant-containing energy drinks or dietary supplements against 27,491 reports involving products without those ingredients.
According to the research abstract, the findings include:
Approximately 45% of the reports linking these products to cardiovascular events involved adults aged 18 to 34.
While the research identifies an association, the authors emphasized that the analysis design cannot prove that these products directly caused the reported heart conditions. The study relied on voluntary reports from consumers, healthcare professionals, and manufacturers, meaning it is unknown how many people consumed these products without experiencing adverse events or how many cardiovascular events went unreported.
Study author Sai Samayamanthula, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, noted that while the risk may be small for healthy people consuming these products occasionally, regular consumers can quickly exceed recommended daily caffeine limits.
Gregory M. Marcus, M.D., M.A.S., FAHA, chair of the 2026 American Heart Association scientific statement on caffeine and cardiovascular disease, stated, "This study raises concerns that products with very high amounts of caffeine may be harmful to the cardiovascular system." He added that "the study does not prove that caffeine products cause these events, because other factors may have influenced the results found in this analysis."
Sales of caffeinated energy drinks have more than doubled over the past decade, reaching over $20 billion in 2024. Because the FDA regulates energy drinks and stimulant supplements as foods or dietary supplements rather than medications, these products do not undergo the same premarket safety testing required for medications.
According to a 2026 American Heart Association Scientific Statement, consuming up to 400 mg of caffeine per day is generally safe for most adults. However, some energy drinks contain as much as 3 times more caffeine per fluid ounce than brewed coffee, and some pre-workout supplements contain more than 12 times as much caffeine per fluid ounce.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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