Energy Drinks Mixed With Alcohol Trigger Alcohol Related Problems

Young adults continue to mix their alcohol with energy drinks. This trend puts both individual and public health at risk, claims a new study.

The study conducted by researcher Megan Patrick at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research in collaboration with Jennifer Maggs for Penn State University claims mixing alcohol with energy drink has a negative impact of the young adults. The researchers observed that on mixing the drinks, the young college students tend to drink heavily and get more intoxicated when compared to standard alcoholic drinks.

The U.S. government has banned manufactures from premixing highly caffeinated products with alcohol. Certain drinks are gaining a lot of popularity such as Vodka Red Bull.

This is not the first time that a study highlights the ill-effects of mixing alcohol with energy drinks. Prior to this, a study led by Dr Mary Claire O'Brien, from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Centre in New Carolina found out that risk of serious and potentially deadly consequences is higher for those who mixed energy drinks with alcohol, even when the amount of alcohol is adjusted. It is like mixing cocaine with heroin, explains a drug expert (source DailyMail).

In the current study, researchers claim that this sort of drink not only triggers a physical risk for the person but also exposes the community to dangerous situation where the young adults stay awake drunk at night.

For the study, researchers examined the data of 652 college students over a period of four semesters. the students were asked to provide information about their daily consumption of energy drink as well as alcohol. They also had to report about any negative consequences they faced after consuming the mixed drink.

"Our findings suggest that the use of energy drinks and alcohol together may lead to heavier drinking and more serious alcohol-related problems," Patrick concluded. "As energy drinks become more and more popular, we should think about prevention strategies for reducing the negative consequences of using energy drinks and of combining energy drinks with alcohol."

The study was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.