As sales of energy drinks are rising on the University of Minnesota campus, health experts warn about the long-term effects.
Energy drinks have accounted for 9.49% of all beverage sales at the University in 2025, according to University of Minnesota Vending Services data.
In 2024, energy drinks accounted for 6.85% of total beverage sales. Energy drinks now make up a larger portion of what’s being purchased across campus than previously.
Energy drink sales on campus have steadily increased over the past three fiscal years, both in total units sold and in their share of overall beverage purchases. The University transitioned to a new vending provider, Canteen, which resulted in higher volumes, according to director of Contract Administration in Auxiliary Services Amy Keran.
An estimated 30%-50% of young people ages 10-19 consume energy drinks, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Dangers of energy drinks include dehydration, heart complications, anxiety and insomnia.
Breanna Metras, a PhD in nutritional sciences and registered dietitian, said consuming energy drinks daily can disrupt hunger cues and lead to unhealthy eating habits.
Metras said a lot of people tend to use energy drinks as a meal replacement. She added meals are much better fuel for the brain if students are studying or working.
“People with disordered eating may use energy drinks or other caffeinated beverages to suppress their appetite and hide disordered eating patterns from their family members, friends or health care providers,” according to an article by the Eating Recovery Center.
Metras said the brain runs on glucose, which comes from carbohydrates, especially complex carbs like whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Eating a full, balanced meal provides steady, lasting energy because the body takes longer to break it down.
Metras said students who drink energy drinks in place of their meals are messing with their hunger cues. In the long run, it can have a detrimental impact on a person’s diet.
“By drinking things that have caffeine and extreme amounts of caffeine, you’re really accentuating that path, which can really ruin your quality of life, whether or not you realize,” Metras said.
Metras said energy drinks deliver a quick burst of sugar and caffeine, which hits fast but wears off quickly, often leading to a crash. A caffeine crash is the sudden experience of fatigue, drowsiness and irritability that occurs after the effects of caffeine wear off.
Another trend Metras said she has noticed with energy drinks include the use of sugar alcohols and artificial sugars to lower the total calorie count of energy drinks.
Sugar-free alternatives often rely on sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners to lower calorie counts, according to INTEGRIS Health. Risks of sugar alcohols include heart attacks and strokes, bloating and upset stomachs, a laxative effect and weight gain.
Metras said people are becoming more conscious of added sugars.
“So energy drinks are definitely like the pioneers of using sugar alcohols instead of regular sugar,” Metras said. “So they say it’s healthier or has lower calories, so students are more willing to kind of pick up that can versus the kind with the full sugar, but I don’t think that’s necessarily a good idea.”
Metras said one of the main reasons why students drink energy drinks is convenience.
“It takes a lot of time to either pack a snack or to bring a snack or to get up and go to the dining hall, come back to your library, your study spot, and it’s so much easier to just go to the vending machine, grab a drink and say that’s enough,” Metras said.
Metras said one good alternative to energy drinks is water, which people often overlook. She said teas are also a good alternative because they have similar caffeine contents, but lead to a slower decline and there isn’t the same caffeine crash seen with coffee or an energy drink.
Third-year student and computer science major Daigan Berger said he drinks one energy drink a day along with one or two cups of coffee. He drinks primarily Monster and Reign. Reign contains around 300 milligrams of caffeine per can.
400 milligrams of caffeine per day is the recommended amount for adults, according to Mayo Clinic.
Berger said he is worried about the long-term effects on students if they continue to go over the caffeine limit.
Berger said he believes he has developed a dependency on energy drinks. He gets headaches, feels sluggish and struggles to get out of bed when he doesn’t drink an energy drink.
“There’s vending machines literally everywhere with these energy drinks,” Berger said. “So it’s like, I see them in these vending machines, like, okay, I’ll just grab one, it’s easy and I don’t have to sit in a coffee shop and wait around.”
Berger said the University and other vendors make it easy to access energy drinks, but it is up to the individual to decide whether or not to consume them. He thinks students will choose energy drinks over eating meals because they feel it will give them enough energy to keep going.
Second-year student and health science major Luke Backholm said he drinks one to two energy drinks every weekday, primarily Rockstar energy drinks or Monster on occasion.
Backholm said he prefers energy drinks over coffee because they taste better and help him focus more. He added he drinks energy drinks so he can get through work because it can be hard without one.
One way Backholm said students can become more educated is by putting up posters around campus which can serve as a quick way for students to get information that’s straight to the point.
Berger said there should be more education about energy drinks, but believes that college students simply will not care about the health effects and that regardless of the education that is provided, people will still choose to drink them.
“I think most people know that energy drinks have a lot of negative effects, but choose these anyway,” Berger said. “I think it is more of a cultural thing, just in general, college students are not as concerned as maybe post-college like adults about their health and what they’re consuming.”