ENERGY ON THE ROCKS

Partygoers are mixing popular energy drinks such as Red Bull and Rock Star with alcohol to make what experts say can be a fun, but very dangerous combination.
“This combination is like a bomb,” said Fatemeh Malekian, associate professor of nutrition research at Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center.
Malekian referred to a recent study on the trend conducted by Brown University. The study says energy drinks are anti-depressants designed to boost or keep a person awake. It says alcohol is a depressant that makes a person tired, sleepy and often impairs judgment after a short period of time if consumed excessively. In Europe, health professionals suspect three people may have actually died as a result of the combination.
Atlanta native and senior business management and music major Kailan Hindsman said he drank Red Bull mixed with Hennessy before, but his drink of choice is Red Bull mixed with vodka.
“I was trying them out with a friend of mine,” Hindsman said. “I was not concerned because energy drinks are supposed to be (made with) natural stuff and alcohol is as natural as it gets.”
A 250-milliliter can of Red Bull contains 80 milligrams of caffeine, which is double the amount of caffeine in one 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola, Malekian said. There are 27 grams of sugar in the energy drink.
“We don’t know what (else is) actually in these drinks,” Malekian said. “The double dosing can lead to dehydration, a heart attack or vomiting in your sleep without you knowing it can cause death.”
Malekian said anyone who consumes this combination in moderation would not have these adverse effects, but those who drink excessively should cease and pay attention to what they are putting in their bodies.
Julio Baca, a junior political science major from Gretna, tried Red Bull mixed with rum and said the taste was horrible.
“You can actually taste the caffeine,” Baca said. “I was drunk too, and usually I can drink and it doesn’t matter what I drink.”
Baca said he would not drink an energy drink mixed with alcohol ever again.
Malekian stated one danger to combining the beverages are the massive amount of sugars and caffeine that energy drinks contain could sometimes prohibit a person from feeling the impairing side effects of alcohol like sleepiness and fatigue.
“The stimulating effects of these energy drinks could mask how intoxicated you really are,” she said.
Niles Stroud, a senior mass communication major from Los Angeles, said curiosity led him to trying the trendy combination. He said though drinking energy drinks with alcohol was not a regular practice of his, he was not against trying it again.
“I was really calm and relaxed and it did not affect me,” Stroud said.
Malekian said it is up to consumers to educate themselves on the dangers of combining these beverages before consuming them. She said she has often found consumers do not pay close attention to nutrition labels on packages. She said manufacturers of energy drinks should include labels warning customers of improper consumption.
“Think about your body as a temple,” Malekian said.