In a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health,
researchers at the Institute for Social Research at the University of
Michigan have concluded that mixing alcohol and energy drinks poses a
serious public health risk, especially among college students. "We found
that college students tended to drink more heavily, become more
intoxicated, and have more negative drinking consequences on days they
used both energy drinks and alcohol, compared to days they only used
alcohol," said Megan Patrick, a research assistant professor and
co-author of the study.
According to the study,
students who either drank alcohol and energy drinks on the same day or
who combined the two at the same time wound up spending more time
drinking – thus consuming more alcohol – than they would have without
the caffeinated drinks. The result of spending more hours drinking
raised users' blood alcohol levels to higher peaks. But because of the
stimulant effects of the energy drinks, the users reported that they
felt less drunk than they actually were. "This can have serious
potential health impacts, for example if people don't realize how
intoxicated they actually are and decide to drive home," Patrick said.
But
a similar study conducted by the Department of Community Health at the
Boston University School of Public Health found that it wasn’t
necessarily the combination of alcohol and caffeine that posed a risk,
but the profile of the drinkers themselves that led to negative
consequences. "It appears that the consumption of caffeinated alcoholic
beverages has a direct effect on increasing risk by masking intoxication
and making it easier for youth to consume more alcohol,” said Dr.
Michael Siegel, one of the authors of the Boston University’s study. “It
also appears that consumption of alcohol with caffeine may itself be a
marker for youth who engage in riskier behavior.”
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