Energy Drinks Do Not Help Maintain Alcohol's Buzz
from ACER News Release

Study Included Only Males
"I think the main message of our study is that this kind of beverage, at least in the tested doses, does not increase people's performance in physical activities or reduce alterations induced by acute alcohol ingestion," said Formigoni.

"Young people should continue to be careful when using these drinks together until more evidence is available," added Monteiro. "We need more research with a variety of drinks on cognitive performance, reflecting the common usage of the drinks, which would help clarify their potential adverse or beneficial effects. Research on young women, who are often the target of marketing strategies with such drinks and combination of drinks, should also be a priority; the present study included only male subjects. It would also be interesting to know if subjects felt differently in each session and how the interaction of the drinks could have affected their perception of time, memory, dexterity and so on. For example, the effects of the combination on driving-related skills should be further investigated. Finally, developing animal models for testing higher doses of alcohol, which may limit the study in volunteers, would also be good."

This is in fact what Formigoni and her colleagues are currently examining, the effects on mice of different doses of energy drinks and alcohol. "We expect to publish those results in the near future," she said.