Energy drinks: review of performance benefits, health concerns, and use by military personnel.

Energy drinks (EDs) are highly caffeinated beverages usually containing herbal ingredients promoted and consumed for purported improvements in attention and athletic performance. The popularity of EDs among adolescents and young adults has steadily increased for more than a decade. Reports suggest U.S. military populations consume EDs with greater frequency as compared to age-matched civilian populations. This article reviews the literature and outlines the current body of evidence evaluating the human performance benefits and potential harms associated with ED use.

Reprint & Copyright © 2014 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.