Caffeinated alcoholic beverages such as Four Loko have come under fire from lawmakers and public health officials in recent weeks, following reports of hospitalizations and even some deaths tied to the potent drinks.
Now, a new study suggests that combining caffeine and alcohol can pose a risk to young people even when the substances aren’t mixed in the same can or cup. College students who consume nonalcoholic energy drinks such as Red Bull at least once a week are more than twice as likely as their peers to show signs of alcohol dependence, including withdrawal symptoms and an inability to cut back on drinking, according to the study.
“The odds were fairly strong, especially when you look at the dose of energy drink used,” says the lead researcher, Amelia Arria, PhD, director of the Center on Young Adult Health and Development at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, in College Park.
The study, which appears in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, was based on interviews with about 1,100 college seniors. The findings do not show cause and effect, and it’s unclear whether energy-drink consumption is directly linked to alcohol problems.
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