More bad buzz on mixing alcohol with energy drinks

Mixing energy drinks with alcohol is a trendy way to catch a buzz, but new US research suggests that mixing the two is riskier than drinking alcohol alone.

Caffeine mixed with alcohol is nothing new (i.e., rum and Coke) but combining high-potency caffeinated drinks such as Red Bull, Rock Star, Jolt, Monster, and Amp with alcohol have upped the ante, and not in a good way, experts say.

In a study announced April 15, researchers discovered that energy drinks mixed with alcohol contribute to higher impulsivity and stimulation in the drinker, which they say can correlate with riskier behavior. Results of the new study will be published in the July 2011 issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

"Young people are now drinking alcohol in different ways than they have in the past," Cecile A. Marczinski, lead researcher and assistant professor of psychology at Northern Kentucky University said in a statement. "College students need to be aware of the risks of these beverages."

Caffeine can reduce the natural sedative effects of alcohol, which allows someone to drink for a longer period of time. In addition, the combination of caffeine and alcohol can stimulate the body's dopamine system, which can inspire more drinking, and may facilitate the false perception that a person is less intoxicated then he or she actually is, said Thomas Gould, an associate professor of psychology at US-based Temple University, Philadelphia, in an interview with Scientific American.

The new study follows another that found that college students who drank alcohol mixed with energy drinks were at dramatically higher risk for injury and other alcohol-related consequences compared to students who drank alcohol without energy drinks.

To learn more: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=caffeine-alcohol-mix-dangerous

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/01/fda-caffeine-and-alcohol-dont-mix/