Abstract
Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) indicate 89% of Americans regularly consume caffeine, but these data do not include military personnel. This cross-sectional study examined caffeine use in Navy and Marine Corps personnel, including prevalence, amount of daily consumption, and factors associated with use. A random sample of Navy and Marine Corps personnel was contacted and asked to complete a detailed questionnaire describing their use of caffeine-containing substances, in addition to their demographic, military, and lifestyle characteristics. A total of 1708 service members (SMs) completed the questionnaire. Overall, 87% reported using caffeinated beverages ≥1 time/week, with caffeine users consuming a mean ± standard error of 226 ± 5 mg/day (242 ± 7 mg/day for men, 183 ± 8 mg/day for women). The most commonly consumed caffeinated beverages (% users) were coffee (65%), colas (54%), teas (40%), and energy drinks (28%). Multivariable logistic regression modeling indicated that characteristics independently associated with caffeine use (≥1 time/week) included older age, white race/ethnicity, higher alcohol consumption, and participating in less resistance training. Prevalence of caffeine use in these SMs was similar to that reported in civilian investigations, but daily consumption (mg/day) was higher.
Highlights
Caffeine is a widely consumed psychoactive substance
Of the random sample of 10,000 active-duty service members (SMs) requested from DMDC, 328 were not contacted because they were enrolled in other Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) military survey studies [21,24]
The present investigation expands knowledge on the prevalence and amount of caffeine consumed in the military services, a group largely neglected in national surveys
Summary
Caffeine is a widely consumed psychoactive substance. There has been some concern regarding the potential adverse health effects of caffeine, especially with regard to cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus risk. Short-term metabolic studies have suggested caffeine has adverse effects on glucose tolerance and whole-body glucose management [10,11] which could increase diabetes risk, but longer-term investigations found that coffee consumption was associated with a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes [7,12,13]. Other studies suggested there were positive effects of caffeinated products, including reduced liver dysfunction [14], slower age-related cognitive declines [15], improvement in some types of athletic performances [16], Nutrients 2016, 8, 620; doi:10.3390/nu8100620 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients
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