The Negative Physiological Effects Associated with the Combination with Alcohol and Energy Drinks

Abstract

Due to the popularity of energy drinks in the 1980s there was a growing consumption among young people [1,2] who started to use these substances for a variety of reasons, including to improve physical performance, memory, concentration or to alleviate drowsiness [3,4]. However, recent studies raise questions about their interaction with alcohol and their ability to mask the subjective effects of alcoholic beverages, leading young people to overestimate their level of commitment, drink more and favor engagement in risk behaviors [5-8]. In 2006, the global annual consumption of energy drinks increased by 17% over the previous year to 906 million gallons, although Thailand leads the ranking with the highest per capita consumption in the world, and the US leads the highest total sales volume [9], the consumption of this substance in Brazil has become a notorious public health problem. In the country, it was verified that the university students are quite exposed to this type of consumption. According to the “I National Survey on the Use of Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs among University Students of the 27 Brazilian Capitals,” the energy drink is the substance most frequently associated with alcohol, 74.3% reported use of this mixture in life, 53 % use in the last 12 months and 36% use in the last 30 days [10]. Negative Physiological Effects Associated with the Use of Energy Drinks