Multimedia Reporting (Fred-Musser)

Energy drinks are becoming increasingly popular with students that stay up late partying or studying. These drinks are readily available at the University of Kansas, though they may be dangerous if used in excess.

According to Ann Chapman, Coordinator of Nutritional Health at the Wellness Resource Center, the high caffeine content in energy drinks can be dangerous. Caffeine is a stimulant, and can cause an increase to both blood pressure and heart rate. Some energy drinks even combine multiple stimulants.

“There is a substance called guarana which acts just like caffeine, and it’s like a double whammy with both,” Chapman said.

Mixing alcohol with energy drinks can be the biggest danger. According to Chapman, the body receives mixed messages when a stimulant such as caffeine is consumed with a depressant such as alcohol. When drunk, the body attempts to fall asleep, or ‘pass out’. The body does this to slow the amount of alcohol being ingested and absorbed into the bloodstream. Drinking a caffeinated energy drink prevents sleep and increases alcohol levels in the body.

‘It really can be dangerous,” Chapman said.

These health risks haven’t slowed the explosive growth of energy drinks in the U.S. According to John Sicher, Editor and Publisher of Beverage Digest, the energy drink market has experienced growth of 80 percent since last year. It is a $3.5 billion industry, with the leading brand being Red Bull, the drink that started the energy craze in the U.S. in 1997. According to Forbes.com, over 1.9 billion cans of Red Bull were sold in 2004, with 700 million cans sold in the U.S. alone. Monster Energy, made by Hansen Natural, is the nations second leading brand. Hansen Natural posted record financial results in the first quarter of 2006, with net sales doubling the same period from last year. Profit more than doubled from $8.8 million a year ago to $21.1 million. The third leading brand is Rockstar Energy, which is distributed by Coca-Cola. According to Beverage Digest, Rockstar’s 2005 sales were estimated at $180 million.

Success in the energy drink business has led to expansion.
Cnn.com reports that over 500 new energy drinks were launched worldwide this year. With so much competition, companies will do anything they can to stand out to a youthful audience. New energy drinks carry by controversial names such as Cocaine and Pimp Juice.

Due to the University’s contract with Coca-Cola, Rockstar is sold on campus alongside Coca-Cola’s other energy drink, Full Throttle. There are vending machines on campus that contain nothing but energy drinks, and campus convenience stores are currently having a sale promoting the drinks to students. Some students are already hooked.

“I know I’m addicted to caffeine, so that’s my biggest issue,” says Vanessa Pierson, Clinton Missouri Senior. “I usually just drink the diet variety of Rockstar energy drinks, they’re readily available on campus.”

Pierson knows that there are health risks involved (warning, PDF), but she doesn’t let them get in the way of her studying.

“I just ignore the risk, because college demands that some nights I have to stay awake to get things done,” Pierson said.

David Mucci, Director of KU Memorial Unions, says that students like having the option to buy energy drinks on campus.

“We really look at this as an issue of choice, we don’t look at it as a health issue,” Mucci said.
Mucci recognizes the health concerns with energy drinks, but he maintains that most dangers occur when energy drinks are used in an environment with alcohol. He also says the drinks do not seem to be abused by students.

“Sales for us are not the kind of mass consumption that studies seem to show concern about. We’re selling, primarily, students one can at a time,” Mucci said.

As energy drinks continue to grow in popularity, health concerns will likely grow as well. Chapman recommends that students limit their caffeine intake to 300 milligrams a day. A regular 16 ounce can of Rockstar Energy drink contains 160 milligrams of caffeine, though Chapman still recommends that students get caffeine from alternate sources such as soft drinks or coffee. A 12 ounce can of Coca-Cola contains only 34 milligrams of caffeine.

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Scientists at the University of Kansas have discovered that insects are more prosperous living in larger prairie areas rather than smaller ones. By understanding how a smaller environment can affect insects, scientists are hoping to understand how human habitation affects insect life.

As Douglas County changed over the past century, the size of most insect communities also changed. Dr. Robert Hagen, a research associate at the Kansas Biological Survey, estimates that 90% of the fields that used to cover Douglas County have been broken up into smaller pieces. Until recently, it was unknown how insects react to this environment change.

“We wanted to look in more detail how the process of succession worked in small vs. large areas,” Hagen said.

At the University of Kansas Field Station and Ecological Reserve, located north of Lawrence, scientists created over 452 prairie environments for insects to live in. These environments were spread out in a 30-acre field. The idea was for all the different environments to be identical except for one aspect: size. This was accomplished by regularly running a mower between the different areas, keeping life from spreading between the different environments. From 1984-1993, life inside the different environments was allowed to grow and change on its own.

As this was happening, insects were collected from the different environments using nets. During the study, over 300,000 insects were collected, spanning over 1,000 different species.

According to Hagen, “There was so much data, no one could cope with it.”

Luckily, scientists didn’t give up on the study, and recently they have concluded that insects are more successful living in larger prairie areas. According to Hagen, the larger prairie areas not only boasted proportionately larger numbers of insects but also wider varieties of insect species.

Scientists still struggle to determine why insects live better in larger areas, especially since other creatures, such as rats, are more prosperous in smaller areas.

“We’re not sure why right now,” Hagen said.

The research will continue into the future as this ongoing study reaches 23 years of age. As students and funding come and go through the university, the progress of the project has been anything but steady.

“Part of the challenge is to maintain a project,” Hagen said.

Other life is also being studied inside the different environments, including plants, mammals and reptiles.

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