A new study published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research found that mixing high-caffeine energy beverages with alcohol may increase a person’s alcohol consumption. The study included 26 adults who drank alcohol and energy drinks alone and in combination over six days. The participants’ desire to drink was rated, along with their breath alcohol concentration. Researchers found that participants had a greater desire to drink after they consumed alcohol combined with a high-caffeine energy drink, compared with drinking the same amount of alcohol alone or with a non-caffeinated beverage. They said caffeine may increase the rewarding properties of alcohol.
Medical Daily reports these findings relate to a study conducted in 2014 at Dartmouth's Norris Cotton Cancer Center, in which teens between the ages of 15 and 17 who mixed energy drinks and alcohol were found to be four times more likely to develop an alcohol use disorder compared to teens who have never experimented with the combination.
In 2010, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of pre-mixed energy drinks combined with alcohol due to health and safety concerns. This impacted brands such as Four Loko and Sparks, who have since changed their formulas.
