V8 +Energy is not particularly dangerous for your heart if you’re an otherwise healthy adult drinking one can a day. With 80 mg of caffeine from tea, a moderate glycemic index, and no added sugar, it sits on the milder end of the energy drink spectrum. But it does contain sucralose, and emerging research raises questions about artificial sweeteners and long-term cardiovascular risk. The full picture depends on how much you drink and what your baseline heart health looks like.
What’s Actually in V8 +Energy
V8 +Energy is built on a base of water, vegetable juice (sweet potatoes, purple carrots, carrots), and fruit juice (apples, cherries, pomegranates). The caffeine comes from black and green tea extract, not synthetic caffeine. Each can contains 80 mg of caffeine, which is roughly the same as a Red Bull and about half of what you’d get from a standard 16-ounce coffee.
The drink contains 12 grams of sugar, all from the fruit and vegetable juices rather than added sugar. It also includes sucralose, a zero-calorie artificial sweetener, along with B vitamins (B3, B6, and B12). Its glycemic index sits at 55, which is considered moderate. That means it raises blood sugar more gently than a soda but still delivers a noticeable carbohydrate load, especially if you drink multiple cans.
Caffeine and Your Heart Rhythm
At 80 mg per can, V8 +Energy falls well within the 400 mg daily caffeine limit that most health guidelines recommend for adults. One or even two cans a day would keep you under that ceiling, assuming you’re not stacking them on top of coffee or pre-workout supplements.
The relationship between caffeine and heart rhythm is more nuanced than most people expect. Large analyses have found that the risk of atrial fibrillation (the most common type of irregular heartbeat) actually drops by about 6% for every 300 mg increase in habitual daily caffeine intake. People who drank less than about 140 mg of caffeine per day had a higher chance of developing atrial fibrillation than those who drank more. That said, caffeine does increase premature ventricular contractions, those skipped-beat sensations that feel alarming even though they’re usually harmless. One randomized trial found a 54% increase in these extra beats among coffee drinkers compared to caffeine avoiders.
The takeaway: at 80 mg, V8 +Energy is unlikely to trigger dangerous heart rhythms in healthy people. If you already experience palpitations or have a diagnosed arrhythmia, any caffeine source can be a trigger, and it’s worth paying attention to how your body responds.
The Sucralose Question
This is where V8 +Energy gets more complicated. The drink uses sucralose to keep calories low, and a growing body of research connects artificial sweeteners to cardiovascular concerns.
A large French cohort study tracking over 100,000 adults from 2009 to 2021 found that people who consumed sucralose had a 31% higher risk of coronary heart disease compared to non-consumers. The related sweetener acesulfame potassium showed a 40% higher risk. These are observational findings, meaning they can’t prove sucralose directly causes heart disease. People who choose artificially sweetened drinks may differ from non-consumers in other ways that affect heart health.
Still, experimental research has identified plausible mechanisms. Artificial sweeteners appear to influence cholesterol ratios unfavorably, promote low-grade inflammation, impair blood vessel function, and alter gut bacteria in ways that could affect cardiovascular health over time. The World Health Organization flagged these associations in a 2022 report, noting a modest increase in the ratio of total cholesterol to “good” HDL cholesterol and an elevated risk of high blood pressure among regular artificial sweetener consumers.
One can of V8 +Energy contains a relatively small amount of sucralose. But if you’re drinking it daily over months or years, the cumulative exposure is worth considering, especially given that sucralose may show up in other foods and drinks in your diet.
Potassium: A Cardiovascular Positive
One genuine advantage V8 +Energy has over most energy drinks is its potassium content. The vegetable and fruit juice base delivers around 520 mg of potassium per serving, which is roughly 11% of the daily recommended intake. Most energy drinks contain little to none.
Potassium helps your body regulate blood pressure by counteracting the effects of sodium. It relaxes blood vessel walls and helps your kidneys excrete excess sodium through urine. Most Americans fall short of the recommended 2,600 to 3,400 mg per day, so a drink that contributes meaningfully to potassium intake has a real, if modest, cardiovascular benefit. This doesn’t cancel out other concerns, but it’s a legitimate point in V8 +Energy’s favor.
How It Compares to Other Energy Drinks
Relative to the broader energy drink market, V8 +Energy is a lighter option. Many popular energy drinks pack 150 to 300 mg of caffeine, 40 to 60 grams of sugar, and a cocktail of added stimulants like taurine and guarana. V8 +Energy has none of those extras. Its caffeine comes from tea, its sugar comes from juice, and its ingredient list is short enough to read in a few seconds.
That doesn’t make it a health drink. The 12 grams of sugar per can adds up if you’re having two or three a day, the sucralose raises its own set of questions, and caffeine is still caffeine regardless of whether it comes from tea leaves or a lab. But if you’re choosing between V8 +Energy and a Monster or Bang, the cardiovascular burden is meaningfully lower with V8.
Who Should Be More Careful
For people with existing heart conditions, particularly arrhythmias or heart failure, even moderate caffeine can amplify symptoms. High-dose caffeine has been shown experimentally to induce dangerous ventricular rhythm disturbances, and while 80 mg is far below that threshold, individual sensitivity varies widely. Some people feel palpitations from half a cup of coffee.
If you have high blood pressure, the potassium in V8 +Energy works in your favor, but the caffeine temporarily raises blood pressure in the short term. These effects are small and transient in most people, but they stack with other sources of caffeine throughout your day. People managing blood sugar should note the moderate glycemic index, especially if they’re drinking multiple cans.
For a healthy adult drinking one can a day, V8 +Energy poses minimal acute risk to heart health. The longer-term question, particularly around daily sucralose exposure, is less settled. If heart health is a priority and you want the energy boost, plain tea gives you the same caffeine source without the sweetener.