An analysis of more than 28,000 adverse-event reports submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over eight years has found that caffeinated energy drinks and stimulant supplements were linked to serious cardiovascular events, including cardiac arrest and heart attacks, far more often than products without these ingredients. The preliminary research, to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2026 in Chicago, highlights a potential safety gap for products that are marketed as everyday pick-me-ups and sold alongside soda and bottled water.
The findings matter because sales of caffeinated energy drinks have more than doubled over the past decade, reaching over $20 billion in 2024. Unlike medications, these products are regulated by the FDA as foods or dietary supplements and do not undergo the same premarket safety testing. According to a 2026 American Heart Association Scientific Statement on caffeine and cardiovascular disease, consuming up to 400 mg of caffeine per day is generally safe for most adults, but some energy drinks contain as much as three times more caffeine per fluid ounce than brewed coffee, and some pre-workout supplements contain more than 12 times as much. Regular consumption can quickly push users past the recommended daily limit.
Researchers compared 854 reports mentioning caffeine- or stimulant-containing energy drinks or dietary supplements with 27,491 reports about products without these ingredients, all submitted to an FDA safety database between 2017 and 2025. Cardiac arrest was reported about 11 times more often in connection with the caffeinated products. Reports involving these products were about 4.5 times more likely to include heart attacks and four times more likely to include ventricular arrhythmias or heart palpitations. Other heart-related reports were also elevated, including irregular heart rhythms known as arrhythmias, elevated heart rate, chest pain and fainting. About 45% of the cardiovascular reports linked to these products involved adults ages 18 to 34, a group not usually considered at high risk for cardiovascular events.
“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,” said study author Sai Samayamanthula, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. “Individuals who consume energy drinks or other stimulant-containing supplements regularly can quickly exceed the recommended daily limit for caffeine.” The study authors emphasized that the analysis only identified associations based on voluntarily self-reported adverse events and cannot prove that the products caused the heart conditions. Gregory M. Marcus, M.D., chair of the 2026 American Heart Association scientific statement on caffeine and cardiovascular disease, noted that more research is needed to understand whether the stimulant products are truly responsible for the reported events.
Still, the researchers said the findings support the case for more systematic safety monitoring of caffeine- and stimulant-containing products and for healthcare professionals to ask younger patients with palpitations, chest pain or fainting spells about their consumption of these products. The full abstract and the Online Program Planner for Scientific Sessions 2026 are available, and additional resources include the AHA’s fact sheet on Caffeine and Cardiovascular Disease. The Association’s overall financial information is available here.
