Coffee, tea, and cola consumption as potential trigger factors were associated with young cryptogenic ischemic stroke patients within the 2-hour hazard period, with coffee and tea maintaining association in several sub-groups.
Coffee consumption in the 1-hour hazard period preceding stroke was associated with increased risk of cryptogenic ischemic stroke in young adults.
Tea consumption in the 1-hour and 2-hour hazard periods preceding stroke was associated with increased risk of cryptogenic ischemic stroke in young adults.
Cola consumption in the 2-hour hazard period preceding stroke was associated with increased risk of cryptogenic ischemic stroke in young adults.
Coffee consumption association with cryptogenic ischemic stroke was maintained across multiple pre-specified sub-groups in the 2-hour hazard period.
Tea consumption association with cryptogenic ischemic stroke was maintained in sub-groups defined by sex, age, and PFO status in the 2-hour hazard period.
The study population consisted of patients aged 18–49 years with first-ever cryptogenic ischemic stroke recruited within 2 weeks of symptom onset across multiple centers.
This research suggests that drinking caffeinated beverages — specifically coffee, tea, and cola — may act as short-term triggers for a type of stroke called cryptogenic ischemic stroke (CIS) in young adults. Cryptogenic strokes are strokes with no clearly identified cause, and they are driving an increase in strokes among people under 50. The study analyzed nearly 600 young stroke patients (ages 18–49) from multiple European centers and compared each patient's caffeinated beverage consumption in the hours just before their stroke to their own usual drinking habits. This approach, called a case-crossover design, helps control for individual differences by using each person as their own comparison. The findings showed that consuming coffee in the 1–2 hours before stroke onset was associated with roughly 1.7 to 2.2 times the usual risk, while tea was associated with approximately 4–5 times the usual risk, and cola with about 3.7 times the usual risk in the 2-hour window. Coffee's association held across both men and women, younger and older participants within the study age range, and across different cardiovascular risk profiles. Tea's association also held across sexes and age groups. These are statistical associations from a single study and do not establish that caffeine definitively causes strokes. This research matters because it highlights a potentially modifiable behavior that could contribute to stroke risk in otherwise young and seemingly healthy individuals. Cryptogenic strokes in the young are poorly understood, and identifying potential triggers could help with prevention strategies or further mechanistic research. The findings add to existing evidence that caffeine can acutely affect cardiovascular physiology — such as raising blood pressure or affecting heart rhythm — in ways that might, under certain circumstances, contribute to stroke onset. Further research would be needed to confirm these findings and understand the underlying mechanisms.
Ferdinand P, Bajpai R, von Sarnowski B, Ylikotila P, Zedde M, Sarkanen T, et al.. (2026). Acute non-alcoholic caffeinated beverage consumption as a trigger for cryptogenic ischemic stroke in the young: findings from the SECRETO study.. Journal of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-026-13882-2