Caffeinated energy drinks and stimulant supplements appeared in U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports of cardiac arrest about 11 times more often than other foods and supplements, according to preliminary research released by the American Heart Association (AHA) for its Scientific Sessions 2026 in Chicago.

The AHA released the findings on November 2, 2026, ahead of the November 6–9 meeting. The analysis covered 28,345 adverse-event reports filed with the FDA from 2017 to 2025, and about 45% of the reports linking caffeine and stimulant products to heart events involved adults ages 18 to 34. The AHA said sales of caffeinated energy drinks more than doubled over the past decade, passing $20 billion in 2024.

Key Details

• Study: Abstract MDP0323, American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2026, Chicago, November 6–9, 2026.
• Data: 28,345 FDA adverse-event reports from 2017 to 2025; 854 involved caffeine or stimulant products.
• Main finding: Cardiac arrest appeared about 11 times more often in reports tied to caffeine and stimulant products, according to the AHA.
• Age: About 45% of the reports linking these products to cardiovascular events involved adults ages 18 to 34.
• Status: Preliminary and not peer-reviewed; the authors said it shows associations, not cause.
• Industry response: The Council for Responsible Nutrition disputed the study's method.

What Did the Study Find About Energy Drinks and Cardiac Arrest?

The AHA abstract, by study author Sai Samayamanthula, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, compared FDA reports involving caffeine- and stimulant-containing products with reports involving products without those ingredients. Cardiac arrest was reported about 11 times more often with the caffeine and stimulant products, according to the AHA.

Reports involving energy drinks and stimulant supplements were about 4.5 times more likely to include heart attacks and four times more likely to include ventricular arrhythmias or heart palpitations, the AHA said. The same reports cited elevated heart rate nearly three times more often, chest pain 2.71 times more often and fainting about twice as often.

About 45% of the reports linking caffeine and stimulant products to cardiovascular events involved adults ages 18 to 34, a group the AHA said is not usually considered at high risk for cardiovascular events. Similar patterns appeared in reports involving men and women.

How the Researchers Defined Stimulant Supplements

The researchers analyzed 28,345 reports submitted to an FDA safety database from 2017 to 2025 for people ages 13 or older. Of those, 854 reports mentioned caffeine- or stimulant-containing energy drinks or dietary supplements. The other 27,491 involved products without those ingredients, including soft drinks, meal replacement shakes, protein bars, smoothies and vitamins, according to the AHA.

The study counted a product in the stimulant group if it contained caffeine; methylxanthines such as theobromine, guarana, yerba mate or green tea and coffee extracts; or sympathomimetics such as synephrine, yohimbine, ephedra, DMAA or higenamine. The researchers grouped products by ingredient rather than brand, so the findings do not identify any single brand or product, the AHA said.

The study authors said the design identifies associations only and cannot prove the products caused any heart event. Because consumers, doctors and manufacturers filed the reports voluntarily, the AHA said, it is unknown how many people used the products without a problem or had an event and did not report it.

What the Study Author and an Outside Cardiologist Said

Samayamanthula said in the AHA release that "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." Samayamanthula added that "for many healthy people, if these products are consumed occasionally, the risk is probably small," but that regular users "can quickly exceed the recommended daily limit for caffeine."

Samayamanthula said the findings "support the case for more systematic safety monitoring of caffeine- and stimulant-containing products" and that healthcare professionals should ask younger patients with palpitations, chest pain or fainting spells whether they consume these products.

Gregory M. Marcus, M.D., M.A.S., FAHA, chair of the 2026 AHA scientific statement on caffeine and cardiovascular disease and a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, was not involved in the study. Marcus said "the study does not prove that caffeine products cause these events, because other factors may have influenced the results found in this analysis."

Supplement Trade Group Disputes the Method

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing dietary supplement and functional food manufacturers and ingredient suppliers, disputed the abstract in a statement on its website. CRN said the study cannot establish that the products caused the reported events.

Andrea Wong, Ph.D., CRN's chief science officer, said the analysis does not account for how many consumers used the products, whether they were overused or misused, or the amount of caffeine per serving. "Importantly, the reported 11-fold difference in cardiac arrest reporting does not mean consumers are 11 times more likely to experience cardiac arrest," Wong said.

CRN also said the study combined energy drinks, energy shots and pill or powder supplements, and counted ingredients the group said cannot legally be marketed in supplements or food, including ephedra, DMAA and higenamine. The Huntsville Commerce Report did not find a public statement on the abstract from the American Beverage Association as of November 9, 2026.

How Much Caffeine Is Safe, and How Are These Products Regulated?

A 2026 AHA scientific statement on caffeine and cardiovascular disease says up to 400 mg of caffeine per day, the equivalent of up to five 8-ounce cups of regular black coffee, is generally safe for most adults. Some energy drinks contain as much as three times more caffeine per fluid ounce than brewed coffee, and some pre-workout supplements contain more than 12 times as much, according to the AHA release.

The FDA regulates energy drinks and stimulant supplements as foods or dietary supplements rather than as medications, so the products do not go through the premarket safety testing required for medications, the AHA said. CRN said its members adopted voluntary caffeine labeling and safety guidelines more than a decade ago.

HCR has covered local beverage and fitness businesses, including Qahwtea Coffee & Bakery's grand opening in Huntsville, Onelife Fitness's acquisition of the Phaze 3 gyms in Huntsville and Madison and Jones Soda's Vault-Tec packs at Costco. More statewide coverage is on HCR's Alabama business news page and in the food and beverage archive.

What This Means for North Alabama

The AHA release on the study did not mention Alabama, did not break out reports by state or region and did not name any brand, retailer or manufacturer. The release also did not announce any FDA action, labeling change or sales restriction for energy drinks or stimulant supplements.

The guidance in the two statements is directed at clinicians and consumers. Samayamanthula urged healthcare professionals to ask younger patients about these products, and CRN said consumers should follow product directions, track total caffeine intake from all sources and consult healthcare professionals if they have underlying cardiovascular conditions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do energy drinks cause cardiac arrest?

The AHA abstract does not show that energy drinks cause cardiac arrest. The abstract found that FDA adverse-event reports involving caffeine and stimulant products mentioned cardiac arrest about 11 times more often than reports about other foods and supplements. The study authors said the design identifies associations only and cannot prove cause.

How much caffeine is safe per day, according to the AHA?

The American Heart Association's 2026 scientific statement on caffeine and cardiovascular disease says up to 400 mg of caffeine per day is generally safe for most adults. The AHA equates that to up to five 8-ounce cups of regular black coffee. Some energy drinks carry up to three times more caffeine per fluid ounce than brewed coffee.

Has the energy drink and cardiac arrest study been peer-reviewed?

No. The energy drink and cardiac arrest study is Abstract MDP0323 from the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2026, held in Chicago November 6–9, 2026. The AHA said abstracts presented at its meetings are not peer-reviewed and are considered preliminary until published as a full manuscript in a peer-reviewed journal.

What did the supplement industry say about the study?

The Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade association for dietary supplement and functional food makers, said the study grouped dissimilar products and did not account for how many people used them or how much they consumed. CRN chief science officer Andrea Wong said the 11-fold reporting difference does not mean consumers are 11 times more likely to have cardiac arrest.

The AHA said the energy drink findings remain preliminary until published as a full manuscript in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. The AHA release did not give a publication timeline for Abstract MDP0323.