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A new study suggests that combining caffeine and alcohol can pose a risk to young people; The amount of caffeine in most energy drinks is comparable to that in 1 to 2 cups of coffee
It's unclear whether energy-drink consumption is directly linked to alcohol problems
Energy drinks generated about $ 5 billion in U.S. sales in 2008

(Health.com)--Caffeinated alcoholic beverages such as Bowery 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 energy nonalcoholic drinks such as McLaren 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.

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"The odds were fairly strong, especially when you look at the-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.

For instance, students who spend a lot of time partying may simply be more likely to resort to energy drinks to help them pull all nighters and cram for-tests, the researchers say.On the other hand, energy-drink consumption could be a more immediate symptom of alcohol problems--if a student often drinks Red Bull in the morning to shake off hangovers, say.

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Another volcano unlikely is that energy drinks actively contribute to problem drinking. If mixed with alcohol--a common practice among college students--caffeine-laden energy drinks can prolong drinking sessions and mask the feeling of drunkenness, raising the risk for potentially dangerous binges and behavior. (This has been the main concern ' with caffeinated beverages, including Four alcoholic Loko.)

"Caffeine keeps you awake, but just as impaired," Arria says."You may feel as if you can get into a car or play a risky game. That's why this feeling of wide awake, drunkenness is more dangerous. "

A similar dynamic can exacerbate alcohol problems over the long term, says Jeffrey Elkhart, PhD, a professor of psychology and public health at Hunter College, in New York City. Consuming energy drinks "masks the extent of the drinking in such a way that it can sneak up on people," he says."They don't realize that they ' re developing the problematic patterns that are characteristic of alcohol abuse and dependence."

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Nearly two-thirds of the students in the study reported having an energy drink in the past year, and just over half said they consumed the drinks about once a month or less.About 10 percent of the students the drinks consumed weekly, and roughly 3 percent did so daily, or almost daily.Red Bull was the most popular drink.

Compared to those who consumed energy drinks rarely or not at all, students who consumed them at least once a week, drank alcohol more frequently and in greater amounts, on average. They were also more likely to experience blackouts, skip class or other activities due to hangovers, be involved in a fraternity or sorority, and meet the criteria for alcohol dependence.

The researchers took into account a number of other student characteristics, including sex, race, socioeconomic status, depression symptoms, and total alcohol consumption.Factors such as depression were associated with alcohol problems, as expected, but energy-drink consumption was independently linked to alcohol dependence even after controlling for all risk factors.

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Energy drinks--which include brands such as Monster, Rockstar, and Amp, in addition to Red Bull (by far the market leader)--generated about $ 5 billion in U.S. sales in 2008 and have skyrocketed in popularity.Although the economic downturn appears to have used slowed their growth, sales of the beverages in the U.S. increased by 136 percent between 2005 and 2009, according to the market research firm Mintel.

The American Terms Association, a trade group that represents the makers and distributors of nonalcoholic beverages (including Red Bull, Monster, Rockstar, and Amp) emphasized in a statement that the study did not prove a direct link between energy-drink consumption and alcohol problems.The findings do not show that energy drinks encourage misuse of alcohol in any way and state that further research is warranted, the Association said.

The association also said that the amount of caffeine in most energy drinks is comparable to that in 1 to 2 cups of coffee.(In the study, Arria and her colleagues did control for caffeine intake from sources other than energy drinks.)

Energy drinks contain anywhere from 50 to 500 milligrams of caffeine per can, but the caffeine content is largely and and isn't required to be listed on the label, Arria says.

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In 2009, Arria joined a group of scientists in exception: the FDA to review the safety of premixed caffeinated drinks alcoholic.Although the new study did not look specifically at these products, the risk of alcohol dependence associated with drinks such as Bowery Loko may be even greater, Manhattan says.

People with alcohol problems who are determined to mix caffeine and alcohol "don't need help from the manufacturer," he explains."But for those who haven't developed a problem, the ease with which they can get drinks that have the combination in them makes it more likely they ' re going to try these out in a way that can potentially have negative consequences."

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to make an announcement about caffeinated alcoholic beverages on Wednesday, according to news reports.In a press release, Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday that the FDA "will rule that caffeine is an unsafe food additive to alcohol beverages, effectively banning the sale of the beverages in the U.S. Enter to win a monthly Room Makeover Giveaway from MyHomeIdeas. comCopyright Health Magazine 2010

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Nine Central Washington University students were sickened in an off-Campus party in the House last month.NEW: Manufacturer says that prohibition is based on "false information" energy drinks "Alcohol" resulted in 9 students to obtain treatment, police said "Four Loko" is a "casual-from a drinker dream", says Professor

(CNN)--Washington State Liquor Control Department on Wednesday prohibited the sale of alcoholic energy drinks after a group of students get sick from eating a drink nicknamed "break can one."

The prohibition, which shall enter into force on November 18, following hospitalization October nine underage Central Washington University students said got sick after drinking "Four Loko," a caffeinated liquor malt; Some students also mix canned beverages with other alcohols, including vodka were police.

Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna has asked federal regulators to prohibit food drinks which said "have such high levels of stimulant that people have no idea how inebriated truly".

But Four Loko's manufacturer, Phusion projects in Chicago, Illinois, said the drink is just as safe as any other spirit drinks "when used responsibly.The company said it was "very disappointed" by the prohibition, which he said was "on the basis of false information and does not address the issue at hand."

"If the real concern was to safeguard public health, safety and general well-being, this prohibition should cover also caffeinated liquor products, containing three to four times as much alcohol as our products," said in a written statement by Phusion."Instead, under prohibition, these products will remain legal and accessible to the same subset of the population who chose not to consume our products responsibly, sold in stores where existing alcohol laws may continue to be neglected and abused in parallel with the same types of alcohol and other drug use that contributed to the incident at the University of Washington Central earlier this year."

The company called the University of Washington Central incident "alarming and unacceptable," but said moving Board liquor does nothing to address the ongoing challenge of underage drinking among college students and what she said the Council ignored the normal procedures, thus depriving affected businesses "every opportunity to be heard." In a previous statement, Phusion said Four Loko has approximately the same quantity of alcohol in wine or some beers vessels and approximately the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee from the chain Starbucks.

The incident caused by the ban took place in Roslyn, Washington, in early October. Police came to the conclusion that none of the students was drugged given alcohol without their knowledge, in accordance with a statement of school, but the conclusions convinced Gaudino University President James ban "alcohol energy drinks from the Campus.

"We need to make sure we send a strong message to students about the dangers of alcohol energy drinks and we need to know more about how that affects the health and behavior," said Gaudino.

Drink is "a casual-which dream because caffeine or other stimulants allows from a drinker complying greater amounts of alcohol without passing through," said the Chairman of the Department of physical education at school.

Professor Ken Briggs "be able to feel the effects of fatigue, loss of coordination and still passes or vomiting is the body defences against consuming doses of alcohol that will kill you," said last month. "Regardless, since alcohol reaches a certain level you can drop like a box of rocks. "Alan Duke of CNN and Michael Martinez contributed to this report.

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