Drug abuse, irresponsible consumption of alcohol, and chronic fatigue have all been the focus of academic studies and development of intervention programs in the military. Some, including alcohol-related incidents and illicit drug use, are enough to separate someone from military service. But the military is taking a closer look at something that has become a staple in vending machines and mini marts at every military unit and installation—energy drinks.
In a recent study published in Military Medicine in August of this year, service members were surveyed regarding their energy drink consumption and personal state of well-being following a 12-month combat deployment. The study “examines the association between energy drink use and mental health problems, aggressive behaviors, and fatigue in a military population.” Further breakdown of these issues into specific behaviors, such as trouble sleeping, depression, physical violence, and others, was included in the study.
The study showed a relationship between high use of energy drinks and mental health and behavioral issues, including PTSD, depression, and fatigue. Like many who drink energy drinks, which are full of sugar and caffeine, you may expect them to combat fatigue and increase energy. But the study, which examined over 600 active-duty Army soldiers following their year-long deployment, found otherwise.
What was Studied?
The study was conducted by researchers from the U.S. Public Health Service and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research’s Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience. It was approved by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Institutional Review Board.
The researchers conducted surveys on active-duty soldiers following their 12-month deployment to Afghanistan. Two larger surveys were given at four and seven months following their return home, with the data from this study coming from the latter. 627 soldiers participated in the anonymous survey.
Questions in the 7-month post-deployment survey included those on mental health and other behavioral issues, with additional questions specifically about energy drink consumption.
Participants answered the question “In the past month, how often have you consumed an energy drink (such as: Red Bull, Monster, Rockstar, Amp)?” with options ranging from “None—I don’t drink energy drinks” to “5 or more per day.” They were also able to specify the size of the energy drinks they consumed, with answer options based on commonly consumed product sizes. These ranged from 8.4 oz. to 24 oz.
Mental health questions focused on sleep issues, depression or anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and alcohol abuse. Questions and scales commonly used in the field of psychiatry and neuroscience were used to assess responses to mental health- and fatigue-related questions.
Aggressive behavior questions were assessed as positive or negative based on responses to questions about yelling or shouting incidents, physical violence or the threat of physical violence, or getting involved in physical altercations with another person.
What Did They Find?
The study found that 75.7 percent of those surveyed reported drinking energy drinks and 16.1 percent reported high energy drink consumption. This meant that 1 in 6 soldiers taking the survey drank two or more energy drinks per day over the month that the survey focused on. That statistic alone is alarming! Over 75 percent of those surveyed reported drinking energy drinks, another significant statistic. With such widespread consumption of these sugary, high-caffeine drinks, what is the impact on soldiers’ well-being?
The findings stated that the link between energy drinks and mental and behavioral health problems was still unclear. The study did include that high energy drink use was associated with some problems, including mental health issues, aggressive behavior, and fatigue when compared to those who reported no or little use.
Those consuming two or more drinks per day reported a significantly higher number of mental health issues, aggressive behaviors, and fatigue. Compared to those who reported low or no use, those who fell into the high use group were more likely to experience problems with sleep, depression, anxiety, PTSD, alcohol misuse, and all aggressive behaviors surveyed.
“Messaging regarding energy drinks should encourage moderation and highlight the association with negative health outcomes,” the study concluded. The researchers specifically highlighted the “paradoxical association with fatigue,” as the reason many service members turn to energy drinks is that they are feeling tired and worn out to begin with.
While consuming these drinks may not hurt service members in their wallets, excessive use may very well be contributing to long-term mental and physical ailments, a recent study in the Military Medicine journal observed. #MentalHealth #RipIt https://t.co/9vKAnQXapm
— Hoplite Resilience Center (@Hoplite_RC) October 29, 2018
What Does This Mean?
The researchers acknowledged the need for further studies to adequately understand the relationship between energy drinks and mental health. But the findings showed that there was clearly an issue with how widespread consumption of these types of beverages is in the military. Mental health and behavior of those consuming a high number of energy drinks was also shown to be a concern.
“In the military context, characterizing the association of energy drinks with key post-deployment concerns such as mental health problems, aggressive behaviors, and fatigue is particularly important given the negative health sequela of combat deployment,” researchers said. The high-stress, low-sleep environment of deployment often means that service members turn to energy drinks to stay awake and maintain energy. But these drinks could be causing even bigger issues.
The study surveyed active duty service members seven months after they returned home from a combat deployment. Over 75 percent of them were reporting energy drink consumption, with one in six drinking two or more each day. Many turn to these beverages during deployment, but that such a high percentage were still drinking them months after deployment ended is significant.
It is also worth noting that marketing of these types of beverages targets the largest percentage of the military population—young males in high-energy hobbies and occupations. The sleep deprivation that often comes with combat deployments makes service members the perfect market for companies looking to boost sales. Red Bull even designed a camo can to make those drinking it feel more tactical or that they were supporting the troops. The researchers knew that energy drinks were common in military facilities and units, and so wanted to study the impact that they were actually having on our troops.
Happy #MemorialDay – share what it means to you and tag @redbull #camocan to toast the military with one of these – pic.twitter.com/ACWEs5YO
— Red Bull (@redbull) May 28, 2012
A Concerned Response
The study has been covered by Military Times and Military Spouse magazine. Both media outlets drew attention to the study’s findings about PTSD and energy drink consumption. When PTSD remains such a big concern in the active-duty and veteran communities, understanding the effect that drinks like these can have is critical.
Military Times author and veteran J.D. Simkins called energy drinks the “life blood” of the military, noting that their high availability and low cost meant that they were found everywhere. The highly competitive nature of the military can also lead to wagers and competitions to see who can drink the most energy drinks in a certain time or who can drink them the fastest.
“But while consuming these drinks may not hurt service members in their wallets, excessive use may very well be contributing to long-term mental and physical ailments,” he said, referencing the study. He continued to describe situations where service members would “acquire” pallets of energy drinks, leading to excessive consumption and even mid-mission toilet emergencies.
It is unlikely that energy drinks will disappear altogether from military installations and units, especially those deployed. But the authors of this study want to caution service members from overconsumption of these types of beverages. Opening that can of caffeine-induced focus may actually cause more harm than good.
Sleep deprivation, alcohol consumption, and e-cigarettes have all been the focus of recent studies and interventions in the military. Campaigns around healthy and responsible choices have been seen at installations around the country, to include facilitated training and intervention programs. Some units have even implemented alternate working hours or watch rotations to help combat issues like fatigue. But this is the first study of energy drink consumption and its effects within the military ranks that has received such widespread attention.
Service member health remains a top priority for military leadership, from the Department of Defense to unit commanders. Studies such as this one will help them make decisions and implement changes to increase overall health and well-being of their people and help create a more mission-ready force.
