New Delhi: Energy drinks and stimulant-containing supplements may help you beat fatigue, but they can also take a toll on your heart, according to new research.
The preliminary study, presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2026, established a link between caffeine-loaded energy drinks and reports of cardiac arrest, heart attacks and irregular heart rhythms, particularly among young adults.
The abstract, presented at the conference held between 6 and 9 November in Chicago, examined 28,345 reports of possible adverse reactions submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) between 2017 and 2025.
Of these, 854 involved energy drinks or supplements containing caffeine and other stimulants, while 27,491 concerned products without such ingredients.
Researchers found that reports involving stimulant-containing products mentioned cardiac arrest about 11 times more frequently than those involving products without stimulants.
Heart attacks were reported 4.5 times more frequently, while irregular heart rhythms and palpitations appeared four times more often.
Young adults at risk?
Around 45 per cent of cardiovascular reports involving stimulant-containing products concerned adults aged 18-34.
Reports of elevated heart rate appeared nearly three times more frequently, chest pain 2.71 times more frequently, and fainting approximately twice as frequently.
“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 Sai Samayamanthula, the study’s lead author and a medical student at the University of Virginia.
The researchers could not establish why younger adults appeared so frequently in the reports. Possible explanations include greater consumption of energy drinks, using them before intense exercise, combining them with alcohol or drugs, or previously undiagnosed heart conditions.
How much caffeine is safe?
According to the American Heart Association, consuming up to 400 milligrams of caffeine daily is generally considered safe for most adults.
However, some energy drinks contain three times more caffeine per fluid ounce than brewed coffee, while certain pre-workout supplements contain over 12 times as much.
Samayamanthula warned that regular consumption could cause users to exceed recommended caffeine limits: “For many healthy people, if these products are consumed occasionally, the risk is probably small. However, individuals who consume energy drinks or other stimulant-containing supplements regularly can quickly exceed the recommended daily limit for caffeine”.
The researchers called for more systematic monitoring of stimulant-containing products and advised doctors to ask younger patients experiencing chest pain, palpitations or fainting about their consumption.
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Findings remain preliminary
The researchers emphasised that the analysis relied on voluntarily submitted adverse-event reports, which cannot establish whether the products directly caused cardiovascular problems.
The database also did not indicate how many people consumed these products without experiencing adverse effects, making it impossible to calculate their actual risk.
“More research is needed to understand whether these stimulant products are truly responsible for the reported heart-related events,” said Gregory M Marcus, a cardiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, who was not involved in the research.
The findings have not yet undergone peer review or been published as a full research paper.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)