Can Energy Drinks Cause Stroke? Caffeine’s Impact on Heart Health

May 04, 2023

This article was reviewed by our Baystate Health team to ensure medical accuracy.

Melissa Mercado, MD View Profile

Eat this, not that. Drink this, not that. What’s a person to think? One day something is good for you, then another study a year later says it’s not.

Now caffeine, the popular stimulant in a person’s daily cup of joe, is under scrutiny again, but this time in relation to energy drinks and energy shots and an increased risk for stroke. Energy shots are a concentrated form of energy drinks, which contain caffeine and other substances like energy drinks, but in smaller volumes.

A stroke, also known as transient ischemic attack or cerebrovascular accident, happens when blood flow to the brain is blocked, preventing the brain from getting oxygen and nutrients from the blood needed to keep brain cells alive.

“There is a [lack] of research data on the topic of whether energy drinks can cause an ischemic stroke. While there is no definitive study offering proof to that effect, scientists have found possible links between the two,” said Dr. Melissa Mercado of the Neurology Division at Baystate Health.