This Beverage Was Just Connected To 4.5X Higher Heart Risk

Grabbing an energy drink or scooping some pre-workout before a tough gym session feels about as risky as reaching for a cup of coffee, but new research suggests these products may carry a heart-related risk that coffee doesn't.

According to new research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2026, caffeinated energy drinks and stimulant supplements appeared disproportionately more often in FDA reports of serious cardiovascular events, including cardiac arrest and heart attacks.

Researchers analyzed 28,345 reports made to an FDA safety database about possible adverse events between 2017 and 2025. Of those, 854 reports mentioned caffeine- or stimulant-containing energy drinks or dietary supplements, while 27,491 involved other FDA-regulated foods and supplements like soft drinks, meal replacement shakes, protein bars, smoothies, and vitamins.

Cardiac arrest was reported about 11 times more often in connection with caffeine- and stimulant-containing products compared to products without these ingredients.

Reports involving energy drinks and supplements were about 4.5 times more likely to include heart attacks and four times more likely to include ventricular arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms in the lower chambers) or heart palpitations. Other heart-related symptoms followed a similar pattern: elevated heart rate came up nearly three times more often, chest pain 2.71 times more often, and fainting about two times more often.

About 45% of the reports linking these products to cardiovascular events involved adults ages 18 to 34—a group not usually considered at high risk for heart problems. The pattern showed up similarly in both men and women.

Part of what makes these products dangerous is the high concentration of caffeine. It is generally considered safe for adults to consume up to 400 mg of caffeine a day, which is about the equivalent of five 8-ounce cups of regular black coffee, according to a 2026 American Heart Association scientific statement on caffeine and cardiovascular disease.

But some energy drinks contain up to three times more caffeine per fluid ounce than brewed coffee, and some pre-workout supplements contain more than 12 times as much. That means it's possible to blow past that daily limit in just one or two servings without realizing it, especially if you're also drinking coffee or tea elsewhere in your day.

Plus, the FDA regulates energy drinks and stimulant supplements as foods or dietary supplements, not medications. That means they skip the premarket safety testing medications are required to go through before hitting shelves.

If you lean on energy drinks or pre-workout supplements regularly, it's worth tallying up your total daily caffeine from all sources—coffee, tea, soda, and supplements included—to see where you actually land relative to that 400 mg mark.

Pay attention to how and when you're consuming these products, too. Mixing them with intense exercise or alcohol may compound the risk. And if you experience heart palpitations, chest pain, or fainting spells—especially if you consume these products often—it's worth bringing up with a doctor.

Given that heart issues linked to these energy drinks occurred disproportionately in younger patients, the researchers also suggest doctors pay special attention to caffeine intake in young adults experiencing any of the above symptoms. Young adults should be taught that, while normalized, caffeine is a drug and intake needs to be monitored.

This research doesn't definitively prove that caffeinated energy drinks and stimulant supplements directly cause serious heart events, but the findings establish a clear association. Other factors may have influenced the results, and more research is needed to understand whether these products are truly responsible for the reported heart-related events. Still, the findings make a case for more systematic safety monitoring of these products going forward.