Researchers Link Energy Drinks and Stimulant Use to Dangerous Heart Rhythm Disturbances

Could energy drinks and pre-workout supplements be putting young adults at risk of serious heart problems? New research suggests that products containing caffeine and other stimulants appear disproportionately often in reports of cardiac arrest, heart attacks and dangerous heart rhythm abnormalities, particularly among adults aged 18 to 34 years.

The preliminary findings are scheduled to be presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2026, taking place from November 6 to 9 in Chicago.

Researchers from the University of Virginia School of Medicine analysed 28,345 adverse-event reports submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) between 2017 and 2025.

Of these, 854 reports involved energy drinks or dietary supplements containing caffeine or other stimulants, while 27,491 concerned products without these ingredients.

The findings revealed that cardiac arrest was reported approximately 11 times more frequently in connection with stimulant-containing products compared with non-stimulant products.

Importantly, 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.

Researchers also observed nearly three times higher reporting of elevated heart rate, 2.71 times higher reporting of chest pain and approximately twice the reporting of fainting.

Interestingly, around 45% of cardiovascular adverse-event reports involving stimulant-containing products concerned adults aged 18 to 34 years, an age group generally considered at lower cardiovascular risk.

Researchers suggested that high caffeine intake, consumption before intense exercise, mixing stimulants with alcohol or underlying undiagnosed heart conditions could contribute to these patterns.

However, the analysis relied on voluntarily submitted adverse-event reports and could not establish that the products directly caused the reported heart conditions.

Researchers emphasised the need for improved safety monitoring and further investigation into the cardiovascular effects of stimulant-containing products.

The findings remain preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

REFERENCE: Sai Samayamanthula, et al.; Energy drinks, stimulant products linked to cardiac arrest, heart attack in young adults; American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2026; https://newsroom.heart.org/news/energy-drinks-stimulant-products-linked-to-cardiac-arrest-heart-attack-in-young-adults?preview=a459&preview_mode=True