An analysis presented at the American Heart Association’s congress in Chicago examined 28,000 US cases of heart attack and arrhythmia recorded between 2017 and 2025. It found that prior consumption of energy drinks was more common than expected in some cases, especially among healthy adults aged 18 to 34 with no particular heart risk factors.
Study author Sai Samayamanthula, of the Virginia School of Medicine, used a federal Food and Drug Administration database tracking adverse events linked to dietary supplements and products containing caffeine or other stimulants. Across all age groups, people who had consumed an energy drink or another stimulant-containing beverage were more likely than the usual rate to require medical care or emergency treatment for a heart attack, experience an arrhythmia or tachycardia, report chest pain, or faint.
The analysis found that 45% of emergency cases associated with excessive caffeine and stimulant use involved people aged 18 to 34. Women and men were represented in equal proportions.
The results show a statistical association, not proof that energy drinks cause heart problems. Samayamanthula said the risk is probably low for many healthy people who consume the products occasionally, but regular use of energy drinks or stimulant supplements can make it easy to exceed recommended caffeine levels.
The report noted that energy drinks and supplements are treated as food products rather than medicines, and therefore do not undergo the same preliminary health-effect checks and ongoing monitoring for side effects as drugs. The American Heart Association’s cited daily caffeine limit is 400 milligrams. Some energy drinks contain as much caffeine as three espressos, while certain sports supplements can contain the equivalent of twelve, according to the analysis. The study’s authors called for greater scrutiny of products containing caffeine or other stimulants.
Sources: La Repubblica.