Dietary Supplements Taken by Military Troops Contain Too Much Caffeine

It was not very long ago when the news that a young girl's death might have been caused by the amount of caffeine found in one of the energy drinks she ingested caused quite a media stir.

Caffeine is now back in the spotlight, courtesy of a new study claiming that the dietary supplements distributed in military bases and consumed by soldiers on a regular basis might toy with their organisms in the same way in which two cans of Mountain Dew toyed with 14-year-old Anais Fournier's body.

More so if the people taking these dietary supplements eat or drink other caffeinated products as well.

This study on caffeine-based dietary supplements was published in the online journal JAMA Internal Medicine only yesterday, and it consists of a thorough investigation of the chemical profile of as many as 31 supplements now used by military troops on a regular basis.

Out of these 31 different types of dietary supplements, fewer than 50% displayed accurate information concerning their caffeine concentrations.

As well as this, some of them were found “guilty” of containing significantly more caffeine than five of one's run-off-the-mill 12-ounce Mountain Dew.

“Caffeine is consumed in a wide range of popular items including coffee, teas, sodas, energy drinks, energy gels, chocolate, gums, and over-the-counter medications. Dietary supplements, which are commonly consumed by military personnel, 4-5 are a poorly characterized source of caffeine,” the study reads.

Furthermore, “Excessive caffeine consumption, particularly when combined with other stimulants, may increase the risk of hypokalemia, rhabdomyolysis, and other heat-related injuries among athletes and military personnel.”

No information concerning the names of the dietary supplements analyzed during this study was made available to the general public.

However, it is a well-known fact that some military troops rely heavily on such supplements in order to keep fit and lively, which is why paying closer attention to their chemical make-up might not be such a bad idea.