In FDA reports, caffeine and stimulant supplement use was tied to cardiac arrest about 11 times more often, and 45 percent of those cardiovascular reports were ages 18 to 34

What the research found

American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2026 abstract MDP0323, not yet a peer-reviewed study, reviewed 28,345 FDA adverse-event reports from 2017 to 2025 in people ages 13 and older. Of those, 854 mentioned caffeine or a stimulant supplement, set against 27,491 reports about products without those ingredients. Cardiac arrest was reported about 11 times more often with the caffeine and stimulant products. Those reports were about 4.5 times more likely to include a heart attack and four times more likely to include ventricular arrhythmia or palpitations. Elevated heart rate was nearly 3 times more often, chest pain 2.71 times more often, and fainting about 2 times more often. About 45 percent of the cardiovascular reports tied to those products involved adults ages 18 to 34. Similar patterns were seen in reports about men and in reports about women. Sai Samayamanthula and Gregory Marcus both said this does not prove the products caused the events: the reports are voluntary, and the number of people who used the products without an event is unknown. Not medical advice.

Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.

Read the original at American Heart Association