Caffeine consumption is on the rise among college students.

Whether it’s energy drinks, lattes, or refreshers, recent statistics show that average daily caffeine consumption for all students is especially high, and UT is no exception.

A recent study showed that mean daily caffeine consumption for all US college students was 159 milligrams per day. This equates to around 1.5 cups of coffee per student.

Lee Murphy, a registered dietitian and nutritionist and distinguished lecturer at UT, stated that these numbers may have to do with the busy lives of students, and their usage of caffeine as a coping mechanism.

“Students have lots of things on their plate, whether it’s school work or [jobs], or anything else that they have to keep on their radar, so it’s not surprising,” Murphy said.

The main ways students are currently consuming caffeine is coffee and energy drinks, both containing high levels of caffeine per serving.

Energy drinks, specifically, are an increasingly popular means of caffeine consumption. In studies of college students, weekly energy drink consumption among more than 60% of students was reported. They may appeal to college students due to their flavoring, marketing, low calorie levels or high caffeine content, most averaging around 200 milligrams per can.

“Energy drinks are a newer thing,” Murphy said.

When asked if energy drinks were a better option for students compared to coffee, she said, “Well, it is for the calories and the sugar load, but you’re still getting a really high level of caffeine that could be dangerous.”

When prompted, multiple UT students claimed that their daily consumption was at least 100 milligrams per day, mainly coming from coffee and energy drinks. UT senior Kiley Shumpert said, “I’ll just have a cup of coffee, but if I stayed up late the night before or have a lot to do that day, sometimes I’ll get an energy drink, and that will be 200 milligrams.”

Possible reasoning for this mass consumption lies in the marketing of popular caffeine products towards students and young people.

“I do think certainly the advertising of Starbucks and those types of things has really encouraged the niche in the market of certain things,” Murphy said.

In addition to marketing, there is also a proven social aspect of caffeine consumption among college students.

“A lot of people might want the coffee themselves, or a caffeinated drink, but they go with their best friend, and it’s something they do on their way to work or on their way to class,” Murphy said. “They see it as social time.”

Social media too plays a role in both the advertising and social influence of caffeine. Content surrounding workout and diet culture are pushed into social media feeds by influencers, many of whom show themselves drinking caffeinated drinks such as energy drinks or pre-workout for fitness purposes.

This plays into the social aspect of caffeine as well, because young people are more susceptible to this influence, and generally tend to copy what they see online from their peers.

“It’s just more popularized in social media and that sort of thing,” Murphy said. “You might get kind of pressured into having an energy drink before you work out because your friend has one.”

When asked about his caffeine usage, Tim Conlon, a senior studying construction science and management said, “For caffeine, I usually have a cup of coffee every day, which is about 120 to 160 milligrams of caffeine, plus my pre-workout which is 320 milligrams.”

Murphy claims that the key to healthy caffeine consumption is moderation, and monitoring potentially harmful effects.

“I do think it’s important to pay attention to side effects, and if someone is having side effects like jitteriness or insomnia or headaches or [gastrointestinal] upset or some of the things that can happen from elevated caffeine use, then it just kind of needs to be in check,” Murphy said.

Healthy consumption does not necessarily mean cutting out caffeine completely.

“If we’re talking a small cup of coffee a day, I think we would call that moderation … but when you go several cups, you know, large cups, plus an energy drink, plus a 5-hour energy, you know, then it gets out of hand and can certainly cause problems,” Murphy said.