Students warned: energy drink + alcohol = danger

Published on Sunday 17 April 2011 14:30

REVELLERS who mix energy drinks with alcohol are increasing the risk to their health, a new report states.

The boost provided by products such as Red Bull, increasingly used as a mixer with spirits, makes the drinker more alert and increases their ability to act rashly while inebriated, according to research carried out by American scientists.

The team behind the study raised concerns about drinks such as vodka mixed with Red Bull and the "jgerbomb" cocktail - where a shot of the liqueur Jgermeister is dropped into a large glass of Red Bull.

While the alcohol affects the drinker as much as normal, stimulants in the energy drink may cause some people to believe they are more sober than they actually are.

It could also mean drinkers are able to consume more alcohol for a longer period.

The findings have been published in the academic journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. It was based on research with students at North Kentucky University.

Split into four groups, 56 students between the ages of 21 and 33 received different doses of alcohol and energy drinks, or a placebo. They were then asked to perform tasks to measure how their behaviour had been affected, as well as rate how they felt, including feelings of stimulation, sedation, impairment and levels of intoxication.

Professor Cecile Marczinski, who led the study, said: "We found that an energy drink alters the reaction to alcohol that a drinker experiences when compared to a drinker that consumed alcohol alone. A consumer of alcohol, with or without the energy drink, acts impulsively compared to when they had not consumed alcohol.

"However, the consumer of the alcohol/energy drink felt more stimulated compared to an alcohol-alone consumer. Therefore, consumption of an energy drink combined with alcohol sets up a risky scenario for the drinker due to this enhanced feeling of stimulation and high impulsivity levels."

The charity Alcohol Focus Scotland said there has long been concern about mixing alcohol with caffeinated drinks such as Red Bull, but little research to back it up. Chief executive Dr Evelyn Gillan said many young people in Scotland have a dangerous relationship with alcohol.

"If this suggests that people are drinking more, then that's a serious concern," said Dr Gillan. "There's a different pattern of drinking among young people now. Because it is so cheap, there is the problem of young people preloading before they go out to pubs and clubs and the other big issue is the culture of excess - it's not a night out if you're not leathered.

"We, the adults, though, have to take responsibility. We have created a culture which is saturated with alcohol."

Austrian-made Red Bull was created in 1987 and is now the world's most popular energy drink. No-one from the company was available last night for comment on the study's finding.