WEDNESDAY, Nov. 4, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Caffeinated energy drinks and stimulant supplements are associated with disproportionate reporting of cardiovascular events, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2026, held from Nov. 6 to 9 in Chicago.
Sai Samayamanthula, from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, and colleagues analyzed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Adverse Event Reporting System, which captures reports on caffeine- and stimulant-containing products, to examine whether these products are associated with disproportionate reporting of cardiovascular events.
Data were obtained for 854 and 27,491 exposed and nonexposed reports, respectively. The researchers found that eight of 10 cardiovascular outcomes met all the signal thresholds (reporting odds ratio [ROR] lower 95 percent confidence interval >1; proportional reporting ratio ≥2 with χ² ≥4; and the lower 2.5 percentile of the information component >0). The strongest signal was seen for cardiac arrest (ROR, 11.15; 18 cases and seven deaths), followed by myocardial infarction, ventricular arrhythmia, palpitations, supraventricular arrhythmia, sinus tachycardia, angina, and syncope (4.48, 3.92, 3.86, 2.72, 2.75, 2.71, and 2.15, respectively). Five of 10 outcomes were signal-positive among adults aged 18 to 34 years. For most outcomes, signals were present in both sexes.
"Our findings support the case for more systematic safety monitoring of caffeine- and stimulant-containing products," Samayamanthula said in a statement. "In addition, health care professionals should remember to ask their younger patients who have palpitations, chest pain, or fainting spells if they recently or regularly consume these products."
