Energy drinks and stamina

The famous 'Red Bull', energy drink when mixed with alcohol does not boost the stamina.

A study conducted by researchers from the Federal University, Sco Paulo in Brazil has revealed that the famous 'Red Bull', energy drink when mixed with alcohol does not boost the stamina.

The findings to be published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research has revealed that energy drinks, when combined with alcohol, does not in any way improve a person's physical performance or reduce physiological and biochemical alterations induced by alcohol ingestion.

Energy drinks, which usually contain a mixture of caffeine, taurine, carbohydrates, B-complex vitamins and gluconolactone, have become very popular in recent years, with many with many youngsters clubbing them together with alcohol in the belief that it boosts stamina.

The study conducted on 14 healthy volunteers, during which all the participants were given water, alcohol (1.0 g/kg), an energy drink, and alcohol plus an energy drink prior to performing a cycling test conducted within a span of four weeks, revealed that energy drinks, when consumed jointly with alcohol, did not improve performance or reduce physiological and biochemical alterations induced by alcohol ingestion.

"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," the journal quoted Maria Lucia O. Souza Formigoni, associate professor at the Federal University of Sco Paulo in Brazil and corresponding author for the study as saying.

The experts have as of now voiced caution over the mixing of such drinks with alcohol.

"Many young people use them mixed with vodka, whisky or other spirits. While the combination of the two, may give people the 'sensation' of reduced alcohol effects, their abilities are in fact compromised for complex tasks such as driving a vehicle. Young people should continue to be careful when using these drinks together until more evidence is available. 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," she added.