Ronda Bokram, a registered dietitian at Olin Health Center, said energy drinks, much like other sources of caffeine, have both negatives and positives about them.

“They’re OK within moderation just like having a Coke once in a while, or two cups of coffee is OK,” she said. “If you have a well-balanced diet and exercise regularly and you consume one (energy) drink a day, it probably won’t negatively affect you. It’s all about balance.”

Along with a lack of nutritional value and the false boost these drinks provide consumers, they also are a very expensive way to obtain caffeine, she said.

“It’s a false sense of energy because energy comes from calories, not caffeine,” Bokram said. “It just makes you feel like you have energy.”

CRUNK!!! Energy Drink, a newer competitor to the already large world of energy drinks, is making a name on MSU’s campus by hiring “CRUNK!!! Master” Jeff Chenoweth to spread the word about the product.

“The college ambassador program is a critical part of our brand,” said Kevin Doyle, the vice president of marketing for CRUNK!!! “The college market is a huge consumer base of energy drinks. All the big guys are doing it.”

Chenoweth said he does his job of circulating CRUNK!!! by distributing the drinks the company sends him at his fraternity’s parties. The history junior said that although his fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, posts banners with the drink’s name and offers partygoers free cans, the house is not technically sponsored by the drink. It’s his personal job.

“Every person is different, whether you’re talking about alcohol by itself or energy drinks by themselves,” Chenoweth said. “With anything you consume you have to be responsible. Whenever I’ve given someone a CRUNK!!! and seen they’re going to chase with it, I tell them to chill … it’s obvious that’s not going to turn out well.”

Scott Sehnert, a sports dietitian at MSU, said he is concerned that energy drinks are being distributed at bars and parties where alcohol is present.

“The dehydration that occurs from caffeine gets worse when it’s mixed with alcohol,” he said. “It’s like any stimulant. Some people respond without any changes and some people collapse.”

Bokram said she agrees students need to be extra careful if they’re going to consume alcohol with an energy drink.

“When the caffeine in these drinks is mixed with alcohol, it accentuates the feeling you get,” she said. “You might not realize how much the alcohol is affecting you like you normally would.”

CRUNK!!! doesn’t market its product as a good drink to mix with alcohol, but is are aware it takes place, Doyle said.

“We don’t promote mixing CRUNK!!! with alcohol but there is a part of our Web site that has recipes submitted by users about drinks you can make,” he said. “I haven’t heard of any problems with mixing it with alcohol.”

Doyle said he is not aware of CRUNK!!! having as large of a presence in East Lansing bars as other energy drinks, such as Red Bull.

Although fraternity parties and bars are common places to find energy drinks, they also can be found on the other end of the spectrum — these days they are almost as common in campus libraries as books.

Casey McLean used to rely on Monster to study, but after realizing the negative effects the drink was having on her body, she chose to ditch the caffeine.

“When I used to drink it last year to study, it would make my heart race,” said McLean, a prenursing sophomore. “I don’t drink them anymore because of the way they made me feel.”

Sehnert said there are ways for students to stay awake and energized without consuming absurd amounts of caffeine.

“I work with student athletes and I always say if you feel like you need a stimulant, you’re not consuming enough calories and real energy and you probably need more sleep,” he said. “These drinks can raise your heart rate and affect your blood pressure.

“Students are generally healthy but there are a number of students who this could be potentially dangerous for.”