Energy drinks show 11-fold cardiac-arrest reporting signal

University of Virginia researchers found an 11-fold higher cardiac-arrest reporting signal for caffeinated energy drinks and stimulant supplements in 28,345 FDA reports from 2017 to 2025.

The preliminary analysis, described in a Healthline News article on Nov. 4 and slated for presentation at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2026 on Nov. 6-9, matters because nearly 45% of heart-related reports involved adults ages 18 to 34.

The researchers reviewed adverse-event reports submitted to the Food and Drug Administration. Of the total, 854 reports involved caffeinated energy drinks or stimulant supplements, while the rest involved products without stimulants.

Compared with non-stimulant products, heart attacks were reported 4.5 times more often with energy drinks and stimulant supplements. Ventricular arrhythmias, which are abnormal rhythms starting in the heart’s lower chambers, and palpitations were reported about four times more often.

“These products are marketed as everyday pick-me-ups and sold next to soda and bottled water, so most people assume they carry no real risk,” Sai Samayamanthula, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and a study author, said in an American Heart Association news release cited by Healthline.

Samayamanthula said the risk is “probably small” for many healthy people who consume these products occasionally. Regular use can make it easier to exceed recommended caffeine limits, he said, adding that “there may be a risk of cardiovascular harm with these products.”

The findings fit a plausible biological mechanism, but they do not establish whether the products were responsible for the reported events. Caffeine can raise heart rate and blood pressure, and some energy drinks contain guarana, taurine and other stimulants that may add to cardiovascular stimulation.

An American Heart Association scientific statement published in July 2026 said a moderate daily caffeine intake is generally considered safe for most healthy adults. Healthline reported that some energy drinks contain up to three times as much caffeine per fluid ounce as brewed coffee.

The study cannot determine whether the drinks or supplements were responsible for the reported events. FDA adverse-event reports can be incomplete, influenced by reporting patterns and affected by other factors not captured in the database.

Gregory M. Marcus, professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and chair of the 2026 AHA scientific statement on caffeine and cardiovascular disease, was not involved in the study. He said the research “raises concerns that products with very high amounts of caffeine may be harmful to the cardiovascular system.”

The result applies most directly to reported adverse events involving energy drinks and stimulant supplements, especially among adults under 35. It does not establish the risk for an individual healthy adult who uses these products occasionally.

Samayamanthula said the findings support more systematic safety monitoring of caffeine- and stimulant-containing products; the next public step is the presentation at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2026 in Chicago from Nov. 6 to Nov. 9.

Source: Healthline News article, Nov. 4, 2026; American Heart Association news release cited by Healthline.

Atlas360 reports health research and does not provide medical advice.