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Energy
Drinks Do Not Help Maintain Alcohol's Buzz
from ACER News Release
Abilities
Still Compromised for Complex Tasks
Energy drinks – usually a mixture of caffeine, taurine, carbohydrates,
B-complex vitamins and gluconolactone – have become very
popular in recent years. Although several studies support the
widespread belief that energy drinks may enhance mood and/or improve
cognitive and physical performance, very little research has investigated
their purported ability to delay the depressant effects of alcohol
on the central nervous system, thereby prolonging its excitatory
effects.
A study in the September 2004 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical &
Experimental Research has found that an energy drink called Red
Bull, when consumed jointly with alcohol, does not improve a person's
physical performance.
"In
Brazil, as in other countries, the use of 'energy drinks' such as
Red Bull is relatively common in bars and night clubs," said
Maria Lucia O. Souza Formigoni, associate professor at the Federal
University of São Paulo in Brazil and corresponding author
for the study. "Many young people use them mixed with vodka,
whisky or other spirits." While the combination of the two,
she said, may give people the 'sensation' of reduced alcohol effects,
their abilities are in fact compromised for complex tasks such as
driving a vehicle.
"In
general," added Maristela G. Monteiro, regional advisor on
alcohol and substance abuse for the Pan American Health Organization,
"young people are often the target of marketing strategies.
This is why it is important to monitor and research the effects
of new drinks in the market on young people's drinking behavior,
as well as perceptions about alcohol and its effects on health."
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