Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing questioning Wednesday from lawmakers for the first time since President Donald Trump’s administration launched the war against Iran, which Democrats have contested as a costly conflict of choice waged without congressional approval.
The chief financial official for the Pentagon told lawmakers that the estimated cost of the war with Iran is $25 billion so far. During the hearing of the House Armed Services Committee, Jules Hurst III, the acting undersecretary of war for finances, said that most of the expense has been on munitions, but the military has also spent money on running the operations and equipment replacement.
Until now, Hegseth has avoided public questioning from lawmakers about the war, although he and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine have held televised Pentagon briefings. Hegseth has mostly taken questions from conservative journalists, while citing Bible passages to castigate mainstream outlets.
Republicans have said they will keep faith in Trump’s wartime leadership, for now, citing Iran’s nuclear program, the potential for talks to resume and the high stakes of withdrawal. Still, GOP lawmakers are eager for the conflict to end, and some are eyeing future votes that could become an important test for the president if the war drags on.
Coffee and energy drinks are popular sources of caffeine, but may have different health effects. Credit: Health / Getty Images
Both coffee and energy drinks can vary in caffeine content.
Moderate caffeine consumption is recommended for reducing the risk to your heart.
Energy drinks have been shown to cause heart problems, but more research is needed.
Coffee and energy drinks are popular options for a quick energy boost. Both caffeinated beverages can support physical endurance, alertness, and reaction time. However, they can also increase heart rate, reduce steadiness, and increase your added sugar intake.
Which One Will Give You More Energy?
Coffee and energy drinks can both range in caffeine content, which can affect their impact on energy levels. Coffee drinks vary in caffeine based on the brew method and bean type, but on average, a cup (8 ounces) of coffee contains about 113-247 milligrams of caffeine.
Standard 16-ounce energy drinks can contain anywhere from 70 to 240 milligrams of caffeine. Concentrated 2-2.5 ounce energy shots pack about 113-200 milligrams of caffeine in a much smaller volume.
It's important to be aware of how much caffeine you’re consuming and check nutrition labels. However, energy drink manufacturers aren’t required to disclose the caffeine content.
Which Has a Greater Impact on Heart Health?
Research shows consuming high levels of caffeine can raise your blood pressure and heart rate, as well as affect your heart’s rhythm. This risk is especially high for children since their cardiovascular and nervous systems aren’t fully developed.
Coffee's effect on heart health is more widely researched than that of energy drinks. Evidence suggests that moderate coffee drinking can support heart health, while heavy consumption increases heart disease risk. How you prepare your coffee also affects the way it impacts your heart. Boiled coffee, like the kind you can make with a French press, can increase your cholesterol levels. High amounts of caffeine can also have negative effects on the heart, so many people with existing heart conditions choose decaf coffee out of caution.
Some case studies show that energy drink consumption can harm heart health, even in young people, but more research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind this. Some of the more severe cases include sudden death from drinking an energy drink.
What Other Ingredients, Besides Caffeine, Can Affect My Health?
Coffee and energy drinks aren’t just pure caffeine. It’s important to consider their other ingredients when thinking about how they can impact your health. Early research suggests some of the cardiovascular effects of coffee and energy drinks may be more related to other ingredients than caffeine.
For example, energy drinks can contain a range of other ingredients, such as guarana (which contains additional caffeine), sugar, B vitamins, and other energy-boosting compounds. Both coffee drinks and energy drinks can contain high amounts of added sugar. Energy drinks can also interact with alcohol and prescription or illicit drugs, causing negative health effects.
Risks of Having Too Much Caffeine
Whether you choose coffee, an energy drink, or another caffeinated drink for your energy boost, it’s important to watch how much caffeine you’re consuming per day. Adults without underlying health conditions should limit their total caffeine intake per day to 400 milligrams. People who are pregnant or breastfeeding should stick to half of that limit, or about 200 milligrams. You can always check with your healthcare provider about your individual health status and their recommendations for your caffeine levels.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/coffeevsenergydrink-738dcdca64dd44cf913c6acb21f2dc44.jpg "A cup of coffee and a metal can side by side with a VS icon in the middle")
