America loves caffeine; just a quick glance at any Starbucks’ drive-thru line can tell you that. Yet some people prefer to get their caffeine fix from alternate sources, like energy drinks. According to a 2023 Statista survey of over 10,000 participants, 33% of people ages 18 through 29 reported consuming energy drinks on a regular basis. The same was true for 36% of adults ages 30 through 49, as well as 15% of middle-aged to older adults. However, research has shown that energy drinks may create favorable conditions for blood clots to form in the body.
In a 2015 study published in The Journal of Surgical Research, 32 healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 40 were given 30 minutes to consume either a bottle of water or a sugar-free energy drink following an overnight fast. The experiment was performed twice, separated by one week. The study team analyzed blood coagulation and platelet function prior to the experiment as well as 1 hour afterwards and found a link between energy drink consumption and increases in platelet aggregation, or the adhesion of platelets clumping together (via Morgan & Claypool Life Sciences). As a result, the researchers concluded that energy drinks may potentially put your heart health at risk.