Energy Drink Mixer Debate Rages on
The debate over the damage that mixing alcohol with energy drinks can do is raging on. This time an Australian academic from Deakin University claims that the real risk is being downplayed by research funded by the energy drink industry.
Associate Professor Peter Miller, from Deakin University’s School of Psychology recently made claims published in the latest edition of a British Medical Journal that energy drinks allow people to drink for longer and achieve higher levels of intoxication.
The academic claims that there is not enough resources being given to research the real consequences of the practice of mixing alcoholic drinks with energy drinks. He says that current research is being largely influenced by Red Bull, one of the largest energy drinks company.
He went on to explain,
“The role that energy drinks may play in facilitating intoxication is under-researched. Because of ethical concerns about people getting too drunk and drinking too many energy drinks, much of the research in laboratory settings has studied only the effects of combining low levels of alcohol intoxication with a single energy drink (equivalent to a strong cup of coffee),” Associate Professor Miller wrote.
“We’ve got survey studies that show these people who mix energy drinks with alcohol are more likely to drink, commit crimes, end up in emergency departments, in assaults and drink drive,” Ass Professor Miller told The Sunday Telegraph.
Laboratory research funded by Red Bull looks at one energy drink and fairly low levels of intoxication, he said.
“The evidence we have is like people having a few beers and a cup of coffee and we already know that doesn’t impair people,” Professor Miller said.
According to Prof. Miller almost half (40 per cent) of people on city streets on weekend nights are intoxicated and one quarter of them have consumed energy drinks.
According to the Professor, many of the researchers who drew positive conclusions from this research have actually been funded by major energy drinks giant, Red Bull.
The post goes on to explain,
Asked for a response to Professor Miller’s comments, Red Bull’s head office in Austria said “Yes, Red Bull is funding high quality research.”
Professor Miller said that four out of five researchers at last year’s 2012 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and Drugs conference, who presented research on alcohol and energy drinks had received financial support from Red Bull.
The concern is that the combination of alcohol and energy drinks carries a number of potential dangers that drinkers should be aware of beforehand. Even RSA staff need to be aware of these risks when serving and mixing alcoholic beverages for customers.
Energy drinks are stimulants and alcohol is a depressant. The effects of the stimulant/ energy drink hides how intoxicated the person really is which prevents them from realising just how much alcohol they have consumed.
Also energy drinks contain quite large quantities of caffeine, including the caffeine obtained from guarana, which for some people could be a threat to their cardiovascular health. This health risk is made worse when the person combines it with alcohol.
I suspect that as with all good things in life, energy drinks should not be consumed excessively especially with alcohol.
