Study Links Popular Drinks to Cardiac Emergencies in Young Adults

WHO:

Fox News - Colin Kane, M.D., is a pediatric cardiologist, service chief at Children’s Health, and professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center; he was not involved in the study.

Fox News - Dr. Pamela Benavidez, a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist at Fairfield Medical Center in Lancaster, Ohio, was the study’s senior author.

Fox News - The American Heart Association (AHA) released the research. The American Beverage Association and Andrea Wong, chief science officer of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, commented on it.

Fox News - The study examined reports involving caffeine and other stimulants, including caffeine, methylxanthines, guarana, yerba mate, synephrine, yohimbine, and other compounds.

WHAT:

Fox News - The research found an association between stimulant-containing products, including energy drinks and supplements, and reports of serious cardiovascular events, including cardiac arrest, heart attacks, abnormal heart rhythms, palpitations, rapid heart rate, chest pain, and fainting.

Fox News - A retrospective observational analysis examined more than 28,000 cardiovascular-event reports submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Fox News - Cardiac arrest appeared about 11 times as often in reports involving caffeine- and stimulant-containing products as in reports involving products without those ingredients. Heart attacks appeared about 4.5 times as often; ventricular arrhythmias or palpitations appeared about four times as often.

Fox News - Elevated heart rate, chest pain, and fainting were also more common in reports involving stimulant products. About 45% of reported cardiovascular events associated with those products involved adults ages 18 to 34.

Fox News - Stimulants were found in products including soft drinks, meal-replacement shakes, protein bars, smoothies, and vitamins.

Fox News - Kane said high caffeine intake may be dangerous for people with underlying heart conditions and potentially for people with healthy hearts. He also identified people with dangerous heart rhythms, older adults with coronary artery disease, and people with undiagnosed heart conditions as groups needing particular awareness.

Fox News - Benavidez said some energy drinks have up to three times more caffeine per fluid ounce than brewed coffee, and some pre-workout supplements have more than 12 times as much. She said a small serving can exceed the advised daily limit and that other stimulants may interact with caffeine in ways not fully understood.

Fox News - A 2026 AHA scientific statement says adults can generally safely consume up to 400 mg of caffeine daily, equivalent to up to five 8-ounce cups of regular black caffeinated coffee.

Fox News - The researchers advised young people to monitor caffeine intake and watch for palpitations, chest pain or tightness, lightheadedness, fainting, or a racing or irregular heartbeat. Benavidez advised seeking medical help for such symptoms and consulting a doctor before use for people with heart conditions, a family history of sudden cardiac events, or relevant medications.

Fox News - The American Beverage Association said energy drinks have been consumed worldwide for more than 30 years and are considered safe by government food-safety agencies. It said U.S. FDA, Health Canada, and the European Food Safety Authority consider moderate daily caffeine intake of 400 mg from all sources safe for adults.

Fox News - The association said energy drinks contain less caffeine than coffeehouse coffee and that no regulatory agency has found harmful interactions between their other ingredients and caffeine. Wong said the analysis could not determine event incidence or quantify risk, and that an 11-fold difference in cardiac-arrest reporting does not mean consumers are 11 times more likely to experience cardiac arrest.

WHERE:

NY Post - The AHA Scientific Sessions will be held in Chicago.

Fox News - Fairfield Medical Center is in Lancaster, Ohio; the Council for Responsible Nutrition is in Washington, D.C.

WHEN:

NY Post - The research will be presented at the AHA Scientific Sessions, November 6–9, 2026.

Fox News - The research will be presented at the AHA Scientific Sessions, November 6–9, 2026.

HOW:

Fox News - The findings are preliminary, have not been published as a full peer-reviewed manuscript, and come from an observational analysis that can show association but cannot establish causation.

Fox News - The FDA reports were voluntary and may be incomplete, inconsistent, or selectively submitted. The analysis did not establish how many people used the products without symptoms or reporting them; alcohol or drug use, strenuous exercise, and undiagnosed heart conditions may also have contributed to reported events.

(UPDATED November 7, 2026 22:57 UTC)

A study linked stimulant products with serious heart events, but cannot establish causation. Cardiac arrests appeared about eleven times more often in related reports. Researchers urge caution, especially for young people and those with heart conditions.