Racial Differences Among Black and White College Students in Consumption of Energy Beverages

So-called energy drinks such as Red Bull or Rockstar contain at least three times the amount of caffeine as regular soft drinks. Some energy drinks have 10 times the caffeine. The energy drink market has grown into a $3 billion annual business in the United States.

A study by Kathleen E. Miller, a sociologist at the University of Buffalo, finds widespread abuse of energy drinks on college campuses, often resulting in students participating in risky behavior.

The study, funded by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that 40 percent of white college students had consumed an energy beverage within the past month. For African-American students, 25 percent had consumed an energy beverage.

Dr. Miller’s study found that students who used energy drinks were more likely to participate in risky behaviors such as having unprotected sex and driving without a seatbelt. White students who used energy drinks were also more likely than other college students to smoke cigarettes, use marijuana, abuse prescription drugs, and participate in binge drinking of alcohol. But black students who used energy drinks were not more likely than other college students to use drugs or alcohol.