The U.S. Air Force has launched a comprehensive study on consumption of energy drinks among active duty and civilian personnel as federal regulators investigate the safety of the burgeoning market.
Stars and Stripes reports that an online survey was launched in September targeting 10 bases in the United States and two in Europe.
Energy drinks are popular in the military, with Monster Energy last year ranking as the top-selling beverage in the Army and Air Force Exchange Service worldwide, according to the article.
The Air Force would like to know more details about consumption at a time when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating the safety of energy drinks and shots in the wake of unsubstantiated reports that link them to several deaths.
“We just don’t know how much folks are consuming them — in quantities, duration and what’s driving it," Maj. Nicholas Milazzo, chief of pharmacy research for the 60th Medical Group’s clinical investigation facility at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., was quoted as saying.
