A new study found that cardiac arrest showed up about 11 times more often in medical reports tied to energy drinks and stimulant supplements than in reports tied to other products.
Quick Take
- Researchers reviewed 28,345 safety reports sent to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) between 2017 and 2025.
- Reports linked to caffeine or stimulant products showed cardiac arrest about 11 times more often than other reports.
- Nearly half of the heart-related reports involving these products came from adults ages 18 to 34.
- The findings were presented at a major heart conference and have not yet gone through peer review.
What The New Research Actually Found
Scientists sorted through 28,345 adverse-event reports filed with the FDA over eight years. Of those, 854 involved energy drinks or stimulant supplements, while 27,491 involved other products. Cardiac arrest showed up roughly 11 times more often in the stimulant group. The same analysis found higher mentions of heart attacks and irregular heartbeats tied to these products, not just cardiac arrest alone.
The study was presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2026 as Abstract MDP0323. It pulled from a government database that tracks safety complaints doctors and patients voluntarily submit. Eight years of data gave researchers a much bigger pool to work with than a handful of case reports, which is part of why heart experts are paying attention now.
Why Young Adults Stand Out In The Data
About 45 percent of the heart-related reports tied to caffeine or stimulant products involved people ages 18 to 34, according to the American Heart Association summary. That age group usually gets treated as low risk for heart trouble. A cluster of serious cardiac reports among young, otherwise healthy adults pushed this signal into national headlines.
This isn’t the first warning sign. A 2024 review documented two adults, ages 25 and 28, who suffered cardiac arrest outside a hospital shortly after drinking energy drinks. The authors gathered similar cases from medical literature but stopped short of calling the drinks a proven cause. A separate Mayo Clinic study of 144 cardiac arrest survivors found 5 percent had their event soon after drinking energy drinks, and those patients stayed event-free once they quit.
What The Study Does Not Prove
The researchers built their analysis from voluntary reports, not a controlled study tracking matched groups of drinkers and non-drinkers. That means the 11-times figure compares how often cardiac arrest shows up within two stacks of complaints, not how often it actually happens to drinkers in real life. The FDA database also does not verify every report, so some details on dosage, timing, or other health conditions may be missing or incomplete.
The product category is broad, too. Researchers grouped energy drinks with pre-workout powders, caffeine pills, and other stimulant supplements. That makes it hard to say whether a canned energy drink carries the same risk as a scoop of pre-workout powder or a caffeine tablet. Anyone chugging five drinks before a workout is in a different risk category than someone sipping one in the afternoon.
Where The Science Goes From Here
Researchers say the logical next step is a study that tracks real people over time, comparing those who drink energy drinks regularly against those who don’t, while accounting for genetics, exercise habits, alcohol use, and other stimulants. That kind of study could tell doctors whether dose, ingredient mix, or an underlying heart condition is driving the danger, rather than just flagging a pattern worth watching.
Energy drinks and stimulant-packed supplements may put young adults at greater risk for heart problems, including cardiac arrest, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting. https://t.co/qIBnkEoVTk
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 2, 2026
For now, cardiologists’ message is straightforward common sense: these drinks are marketed as everyday pick-me-ups sold next to soda and water, but they pack a stimulant punch that soda doesn’t. Young adults who already have heart rhythm issues, a family history of sudden cardiac death, or who mix energy drinks with other stimulants should talk to a doctor before treating them as harmless. The data doesn’t prove every can is dangerous, but it’s a signal nobody should shrug off.
Sources:
newsroom.heart.org, nbcnews.com, research.dial.uclouvain.be
