Energy drinks linked to cardiac arrest reports in young adults: AHA study
By Aarav DeshpandeSports Correspondent, Peepals Yuva
Representative image: Bru-nO / Pixabay
Energy drinks and stimulant supplements showed up 11 times more often in FDA cardiac arrest reports, with 18-34s nearly half, an AHA study said on November 2, 2026.
What Happened
Caffeinated energy drinks and stimulant supplements appeared far more often than other products in reports of serious heart problems sent to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and adults aged 18 to 34 made up almost half of those reports, according to a preliminary study released by the American Heart Association (AHA) on Monday, November 2, 2026. The researchers reviewed more than 28,000 adverse-event reports filed with the FDA between 2017 and 2025. The work will be presented at the AHA's Scientific Sessions 2026, held from November 6 to 9 in Chicago.
Key Facts
- The study reviewed more than 28,000 adverse-event reports made to the FDA over eight years, 2017 to 2025.
- Cardiac arrest, when the heart suddenly stops pumping, was reported about 11 times more often for caffeine and stimulant products than for other FDA-regulated products, according to the AHA.
- Reports involving energy drinks and stimulant supplements were about 4.5 times more likely to include a heart attack.
- They were about four times more likely to include ventricular arrhythmias, a dangerous irregular rhythm in the heart's lower chambers.
- Adults aged 18 to 34 accounted for almost half of the reports.
- The research is preliminary: it is a conference abstract (number MDP0323) and has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Why It Matters
Energy drinks and pre-workout powders have become part of everyday routines for many students, gym-goers, gamers and young workers. They are sold beside soft drinks and protein shakes, and they rarely look like anything risky. This study does not prove that they cause heart attacks, but it shows that when serious heart problems were reported to the US regulator, these products turned up far more often than others, and mostly among people in their late teens, twenties and early thirties.
Part of the concern is about how these products are regulated. In the United States, the FDA treats energy drinks and stimulant supplements as foods or dietary supplements, not medicines. That means they do not go through the safety testing a drug must pass before it is sold. The AHA release also notes how strong some of them are: certain energy drinks contain up to three times more caffeine per fluid ounce than brewed coffee, and some pre-workout supplements more than 12 times as much.
The AHA quoted Gregory M. Marcus, who chaired the association's 2026 scientific statement on caffeine and cardiovascular disease: "This study raises concerns that products with very high amounts of caffeine may be harmful to the cardiovascular system." The researchers also listed the limits of their work. Adverse-event reports are sent in voluntarily and can show a link but not a cause. The pattern among young adults may simply reflect how much more often they use these products, and some of the people in the reports may have had a heart condition that had not been diagnosed.
Peepals calculation: more than 28,000 reports over the eight years from 2017 to 2025 works out to about 3,500 reports a year (28,000 / 8 = 3,500), or nearly 10 a day (3,500 / 365 = 9.6). With almost half from 18-to-34-year-olds, roughly 1,700 or more of each year's reports came from that age group (3,500 x 0.5 = 1,750, slightly less because the share is "almost" half). Our calculation from the reported figures.
| Measure | Energy drinks and stimulant supplements, compared with other FDA-regulated products |
|---|---|
| Cardiac arrest reported | About 11 times more often |
| Heart attack included in report | About 4.5 times more likely |
| Ventricular arrhythmia included | About 4 times more likely |
| Share of reports from ages 18 to 34 | Almost half |
Impact
Short-term: The findings will be discussed at the AHA meeting in Chicago from November 6 to 9, and they add to the attention on high-caffeine drinks and pre-workout supplements popular with young people.
Long-term: Because the study is preliminary and based on voluntary reports, larger studies that follow people over time would be needed to show whether, and at what doses, these products raise heart risk. The findings may feed into debates on how such products are labelled and regulated.
Who is affected: Young adults who use energy drinks or pre-workout supplements, especially those who exercise hard, study late or game for long hours; parents of teenagers; doctors and coaches; and the companies that make and sell these products.
What to watch next: The study's presentation at the AHA Scientific Sessions 2026 in Chicago, November 6 to 9, where more detail on the methods and results is expected.
Key Takeaway
A preliminary AHA study of more than 28,000 FDA reports found energy drinks and stimulant supplements linked to cardiac arrest about 11 times more often than other products, with 18-to-34-year-olds making up almost half the reports, though it cannot prove the products caused the events.
Questions and Answers
Do energy drinks cause cardiac arrest in young adults?
The study cannot say that. It found that energy drinks and stimulant supplements appeared about 11 times more often in FDA reports of cardiac arrest than other products, but such reports show a link, not a cause, and some people may have had undiagnosed heart conditions.
What data did the energy drinks study use?
Researchers reviewed more than 28,000 adverse-event reports sent to the US Food and Drug Administration between 2017 and 2025, comparing reports for caffeine and stimulant products with those for other FDA-regulated products.
Why were young adults singled out?
Adults aged 18 to 34 made up almost half of the reports. The researchers said they do not fully understand why, and that it may partly reflect how often young adults use these products.
When and where will the study be presented?
It is a preliminary abstract to be presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2026 in Chicago, held from November 6 to 9, 2026. It has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Aarav Deshpande, Sports CorrespondentCovers Sports and more for Peepals Yuva. All stories by Aarav Deshpande
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Aarav Deshpande is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
