Energy Drinks Linked to Heart Attacks and Cardiac Arrest in Young Adults, New Study Warns

I drink coffee most mornings, and I know many young people who reach for an energy drink instead. It feels normal. It feels harmless. But a new study says we should stop and think before we open that next can. Energy drinks and stimulant supplements were linked to far more reports of cardiac arrest and heart attacks in young adults, and the numbers are hard to ignore. If you drink these products, or if someone you love does, this is what the research found, what it does not prove, and what you can do about it.

A quick note you can trust: Every number in this article comes from the American Heart Association’s own news release of 2 November 2026 and from reports of the study in the New York Post, Reuters, CNN and Medical Daily. The study is preliminary. It has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it shows a link, not proof of cause. I will say that clearly wherever it matters, and I have not invented any figure.

What the new study found

The research was released by the American Heart Association on 2 November 2026, and it was presented at the association’s Scientific Sessions 2026 in Chicago, which ran from 6 to 9 November 2026. The study was led by Sai Samayamanthula, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

The team looked at real reports sent to the United States Food and Drug Administration, or FDA. They reviewed 28,345 reports of possible side effects filed between 2017 and 2025, from people aged 13 and older. Of those reports, 854 involved caffeinated energy drinks or stimulant dietary supplements. The rest involved other foods and supplements without stimulants, such as soft drinks, meal replacement shakes, protein bars, smoothies and vitamins.

Then came the finding that made headlines. Reports of cardiac arrest appeared about 11 times more often when they involved caffeine and stimulant products than when they involved products without those ingredients. Heart attacks were reported about 4.5 times more often. Ventricular arrhythmias, which are abnormal rhythms in the lower pumping chambers of the heart, and heart palpitations were reported about four times more often.

The age pattern is the part that worries doctors most. About 45 percent of the reports linking stimulant products to heart problems involved adults aged 18 to 34. That is a group most people do not think of as being at high risk for heart problems. Young adults are supposed to have strong hearts. Yet nearly half of these serious reports came from them.

What is actually in these drinks

An energy drink is not just coffee in a can. The study looked at products that contain caffeine or other stimulants. Those stimulants included caffeine itself, methylxanthines, guarana, yerba mate, synephrine and yohimbine. Many products mix several of these together, and the label does not always make the total stimulant load easy to see.

Caffeine raises heart rate and blood pressure. That is well known. In large amounts, or in a short time, or on top of other stimulants, that effect can be much stronger. The researchers say there are biological reasons why high-caffeine products could affect heart health. But they also stress that their data cannot prove the products caused the heart events in these reports.

That is an important difference, and I want to be clear about it. The study is based on reports that people sent in voluntarily to a safety database. It can show that serious heart problems were reported much more often with these products. It cannot show how common such problems are among all the people who drink them, and it cannot prove that the drink caused any single event. The American Heart Association itself says the findings are preliminary, because the work is a conference abstract that has not yet gone through full peer review.

Why doctors are still worried

If the study cannot prove cause, why are heart doctors taking it seriously? The answer is the size and the pattern of the signal. A small difference could be chance. An 11-fold difference in cardiac arrest reports is not the kind of number doctors ignore, even in early research. And the fact that the reports cluster in young adults aged 18 to 34 is the opposite of what you would expect if this were random.

Dr. Colin Kane, a pediatric cardiologist at Children’s Health and a professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center, said the findings build on earlier case reports about possible heart risks from high caffeine intake. Dr. Gregory M. Marcus, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and chair of the association’s 2026 scientific statement on caffeine and cardiovascular disease, noted that the observational data cannot establish that the products definitely caused the reported events. Both points matter. The signal is real, and the proof is not yet there. That is exactly the situation where caution makes sense.

There is a second reason for worry. Young people often drink these products in risky ways. They drink more than one can at a time. They drink them late at night. They mix them with exercise, with little sleep, or with alcohol. The study does not measure those habits, but doctors who treat young patients see them every day. A product that is risky on its own can become much riskier in that kind of pattern.

How much caffeine is safe

Here is the good news for coffee drinkers. According to a 2026 American Heart Association Scientific Statement on caffeine and cardiovascular disease, it is generally safe for most adults to consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day. That is the same as up to five 8-ounce cups of regular black caffeinated coffee.

But that number is a guide, not a promise. It applies to most healthy adults and to caffeine in general, not to any single energy drink. Some energy drinks pack a very large amount of caffeine into one small can, and they add other stimulants on top. Two cans can take you past the daily guide before you have even counted your morning coffee. And the guide does not apply in the same way to children, teenagers, or people with a heart condition.

Medical experts advise against energy drinks for children and teens, because of their sugar and caffeine levels. If you have a heart condition, or a family history of heart problems, or you feel palpitations, chest pain, faintness or a racing heart after drinking one of these products, talk to a doctor. Do not wait for the symptoms to pass and then drink another one.

For more on looking after your body day to day, read our guides to the best foods for gut health, the best foods for better sleep, and how to sleep better. Good sleep and good food will never replace medical care, but they are the simple habits that support a healthy heart.

Simple steps if you drink energy drinks

I am not here to tell you what to drink. I am here to give you the facts so you can decide for yourself. If you do drink energy drinks or take stimulant supplements, here are some simple steps that follow from the study and from the doctors’ advice.

First, count your caffeine. Check the label and add up everything you drink in a day, including coffee and tea. If you are past 400 milligrams, you are past the level that is generally seen as safe for most adults. Second, do not drink more than one energy drink in a short time, and do not mix them with alcohol or with hard exercise. Third, pay attention to warning signs. A racing heart, skipped beats, chest pain, dizziness or fainting after a drink is a reason to stop and seek medical advice, not a reason to finish the can.

Fourth, keep these drinks away from children and teenagers. The experts are clear on this one. Fifth, if you need energy, look at the basics first. Sleep, water, food and movement are not as exciting as a bright can, but they are the things that actually keep your energy steady through the day. Our sleep and food guides linked above are a good place to start.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do energy drinks cause heart attacks?

The new study does not prove that. It found that heart attacks were reported about 4.5 times more often in FDA reports involving energy drinks and stimulant supplements than in reports involving products without stimulants. That is a strong link, but the study is observational, so it shows an association, not proof of cause.

What did the study find about cardiac arrest?

Cardiac arrest was reported about 11 times more often in connection with caffeine and stimulant products than with products without those ingredients, in a review of 28,345 FDA adverse-event reports from 2017 to 2025.

Which age group was most affected?

About 45 percent of the reports linking stimulant products to heart problems involved adults aged 18 to 34. That age group is not usually considered at high risk for heart problems, which is why doctors found the pattern striking.

Who carried out the study?

The study was led by Sai Samayamanthula, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. It was released by the American Heart Association on 2 November 2026 and presented at its Scientific Sessions 2026 in Chicago, from 6 to 9 November 2026.

Is the study peer reviewed?

Not yet. The findings were presented as a conference abstract, which means they are preliminary and have not yet been published as a full manuscript in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

How much caffeine is generally safe per day?

According to a 2026 American Heart Association Scientific Statement, up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day is generally safe for most adults. That is about the same as up to five 8-ounce cups of regular black coffee.

Should children and teenagers drink energy drinks?

Medical experts advise against it, because of the sugar and caffeine levels in these drinks. If a young person has heart symptoms after drinking one, they should get medical advice.

What should I do if I feel unwell after an energy drink?

Stop drinking it and seek medical advice, especially if you have palpitations, chest pain, dizziness or fainting. Those symptoms should be checked by a doctor, not ignored.

Final thoughts

I know this is not the news energy drink fans wanted to hear. A can of something cold and sweet feels like a small thing, and most days it probably is. But this study is a reminder that small things add up, and that young hearts are not invincible. The research does not prove that energy drinks cause heart attacks, and I will not claim that it does. What it does show is a warning signal too big to ignore: serious heart problems were reported far more often with these products, and nearly half of those reports came from people aged 18 to 34. Count your caffeine, listen to your body, and talk to a doctor if something feels wrong. Your heart will thank you for it.