Energy drinks may be contributing to PTSD in soldiers, study finds

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — U.S. military members are facing a new threat overseas and right here at home. A new study says energy drinks are contributing to post-traumatic stress disorder and the U.S. military may be to blame.

Energy drinks provide an instant boost for soldiers in war zones, where they've become the beverage of choice for many service members.

It was a hard habit to leave behind for Army veteran Stephen Eager who served for 11 years, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He's now a student at Jacksonville University in Florida where he walks the campus with his PTSD support dog.

"It did have a hold on me. It was a physical addiction for several years,” Eager said. “They were given out like candy."

Eager, now a married father of four, was drinking 10 energy drinks a day when on duty 16 hours a day.

According to a recent study in the Military Medicine Journal, high energy drink use, which is two or more a day, is associated with mental health problems, anger-related behaviors and fatigue.

Dr. Elliott Rosenbaum, a former military psychologist, said energy drinks pack a powerful one-two punch of sugar and caffeine.

"This is a drug not a beverage,” Rosenbaum said. “My major concern - what happens to these people and their families when they come home and they have developed these dangerous habits of over using caffeine.”

Drinks like Monster Energy are popular among soldiers. It even has a military-specific Facebook page with more than 100,000 likes.

Eager drank a brand called Rip It. He said it was found for free at almost any forward operating base.
According to reports, the company website once bragged Rip It "has been tested on the battlefield and is a favorite of our troops."

A spokesperson for National Beverage Corporation, which makes Rip It, said it currently has a minimal relationship with the military.

The Department of Defense did not respond to questions.

As for Eager, he worries military members fighting for our country may be left fighting health problems later.

"I think that they didn't quite look at the or care to look at the fact the effect that this may be having," Eager said.

The study didn't address Rip It specifically.

In the meantime, some military leaders have already called on their troops to cut down on drinking energy drinks but there have not been any calls for an all-out ban.

Cox Media Group