--- title: "Energy Drinks Loaded With Bizarre Chemicals Are Causing Heart Attacks in Healthy Young People" description: "A new study by the American Heart Association is shedding some light on the horrible toll energy drinks take on the human heart." date: "2026-11-10" modified: "2026-11-10" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins.md" url: "https://futurism.com/health-medicine/energy-drinks-heart-attack-chemicals-research" categories: - "Food" - "Future Society" - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "Studies" --- # Energy Drinks Loaded With Bizarre Chemicals Are Causing Heart Attacks in Healthy Young People ![Convenience store energy drinks in fridges.]() *Shutterstock / Futurism* Who'd have thought that pumping cans of cheap and colorful caffeine bombs into every gas station in the country could be bad for public health? Most people probably at least suspect that energy drinks aren't the best thing to put in our bodies. Still, a recent preliminary study [by the *American Heart Association*]() found that the energy drinks' impact on the human heart over time is worse than you might imagine. The new research took a look at over 28,300 health events reported to the US Food and Drug Administration between 2017 and 2025. Broadly, researchers found that energy drinks and heavily caffeinated beverages carry a link to serious heart conditions which is far, far stronger than that of non-ultra-caffeinated beverages. More granularly, the study found that energy drinks were cited some 11 times more often in cardiac arrest reports compared to products without caffeine. And while caffeine was a key ingredient found to contribute to adverse health events like heart attacks and ventricular arrhythmia, energy drinks are often slurries of [methylxanthines](), [sympathomimetics](), yohimbine, and other poorly-understood ingredients. As the researchers found, documentation of serious medical episodes involving mention of energy drinks and other stimulating beverages are about four times more likely to include cases of arrhythmia compared to medical reports that don't. The study's abstract also points to a rising number of cases reported by healthcare professionals involving irregular heart rhythm or sudden cardiac death in otherwise healthy young adults who regularly slurp down energy drinks. Crucially, the findings point to a high number of adverse heart impacts in young adults in the 18-to-34 age range, for whom heart conditions are generally rare. US adults in this age group tend to be the [predominant consumers]() of energy drinks, which could reflect the fact that consuming high amounts of energy drinks is, in fact, rough on your ticker. Still, the study's authors point out that any causal link between high energy drink consumption and poor heart health has yet to be proven, as the body of research on the topic is relatively young. While the research has yet to be peer-reviewed, it may nonetheless point to a growing public health crisis — not one stemming from a lack of resources, as is very often the case, but from too much of a very bad thing. **More on food and beverages:** *[Climate Change Has Become So Bad That Rice Krispies Don't Have Actual Rice in Them Anymore]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() ## More - [Study Finds That Cardiac Arrest Frequently Occurs After Consuming Energy Drink]() - [Panera Taking Caffeinated Lemonade Off Menu After Several Deaths]() - [Diet Sodas Linked to Heart Issues]() - [Another Person Dies After Ordering New Panera Menu Item]() - [Man Suffers Grim Fate After Drinking Eight Energy Drinks Per Day]() - [Mixing Caffeine and Alcohol: Good Times or Terrible Life Choice?]() - [Animal Tests Show Promise for Restoring Heart to More Youthful Condition, Even After Heart Attack]() - [Madman Sells “Energy Drink” Made From Amazon Delivery Drivers’ Pee… on Amazon]()