November 03, 2026
Max Gersh/USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Energy drinks can be particularly dangerous to children, health experts say. New research also shows they put young adults at higher risk for heart attacks and cardiac arrest.
A growing body of evidence suggests energy drinks containing caffeine and legal stimulant supplements are putting young people's heart health at risk.
The newest research found that caffeinated energy drinks and stimulant supplements were far more likely than other products to lead to adverse cardiac events — and that nearly half of these cardiac cases involved people ages 18 to 34. That's an age group that is not usually at high risk of heart attacks and cardiac arrest.
"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," Sai Samayamanthula, the study's author and a fourth-year medical student at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, said in a news release.
The study, to be presented at a medical conference this month, was based on a review of nearly 30,000 adverse health outcomes tied to energy drink consumption and reported to the Food and Drug Administration from 2017 to 2025. The research supports prior evidence of the dangers of energy drinks, which typically contain high levels of caffeine. Some products also have high sugar content and other legal stimulants.
Specifically, the new research found that:
• Cardiac arrest was reported about 11 times more often in connection with products containing caffeine and stimulants compared to products without these ingredients.
• Reports involving energy drinks and supplements were about 4.5 times more likely to include heart attacks and four times more likely to include abnormal heart rhythms or palpitations.
• About 45% of reports linking energy drinks to adverse heart events were among people 18 to 34.
The energy drink industry hit $25 billion in 2024 and continues to rise.
Morgan Stanley recently projected 6% continued annual growth for energy drink products – a market that is far outpacing the rest of the food and restaurant industry.
The drinks, especially those with no added sugars, are increasingly popular among athletes. Energy drink consumption also has been surging among young people.
Having an energy drink now and then may be OK for healthy adults, who should consume no more than 400 mg of caffeine a day, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
But children 12 and older should have no more than 100 mg of caffeine a day, according to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Popular energy drink brands, such as Red Bull, Monster Energy, Ghost and Celsius, can have two to three times that amount per can, a Consumer Reports survey found.
Energy drinks also often contain legal stimulants, such as taurine and guarana, which can increase energy and alertness but also increase blood pressure and heart rate, a 2023 study found.
Pediatric exposures to energy drinks increased by more than 24% from 2022 to 2023, America's Poison Centers found. Additionally, emergency department visits relating to adverse effects or overdoses from caffeine in energy drinks more than doubled from 2017 to 2023 among children 11 to 14, a 2024 report found.
In addition to heart complications, energy drink consumption in young people increases the risk of anxiety, insomnia and dehydration, the CDC says. Mixing energy drinks and alcohol also heightens the risk of binge drinking, drunk driving and unwanted or unprotected sex, the CDC adds.
