Vodka Red Bull May Make You Want To Fight, A Study Says
The combination of alcohol and energy drinks may be worsening some of the negative effects of binge drinking.
Source: https://www.delish.com/
by MAYA MCDOWELL
JAN 16, 2019
We probably all know by now that mixing alcohol and energy drinks isn’t the smartest move, health wise. A study found that one of the key ingredients in energy drinks may be worsening some of the negative effects of binge drinking, Science Daily reports.
With that in mind, you may want to re-think that vodka Red Bull habit you picked up in college. The combination of the alcohol and the energy drink may lead to “reduction of fear and problems in social communication while intoxicated, which collectively increase the risk of fighting, violence and participation in risky behaviors,” says Dr. Matt Parker, senior lecturer at the University of Portsmouth and co-author of the study.
Dr. Parker, a lecturer in Behavioral Pharmacology and Molecular Neuroscience and other researchers from the University of Portsmouth and the Federal University of Santa Maria in Brazil tested the effects of taurine and alcohol on social and fear responses in zebrafish. Taurine is a key ingredient in many energy drinks, including Red Bull. The researchers found that “taurine seems to increase the fear-reducing properties of alcohol, but also affected social communication.”
The study, published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, was testing to see how taurine and alcohol (enough to induce “moderate human intoxication) affected 192 zebrafish in their behavior. The fish were divided into shoals (fish swimming together), and exposed to either just water, taurine and alcohol separately, or taurine and alcohol together for an hour. The shoaling behaviors were observed at various time intervals throughout the hour.
Those fish that were exposed to both alcohol and taurine didn’t have as many interactions with other fish in the shoal compared to the fish exposed to just water or just alcohol. The alcohol and taurine-exposed fish also displayed more “‘risky behavior’, spending more time in the predator zone than other groups.”
Per Science Daily, Dr. Parker says, “Alcohol reduces our inhibitions, and in low doses can cause relaxation and euphoria. However, in higher doses this low inhibition can cause problems with fighting or risky behavior…People should be aware that drinking energy drinks in combination with alcohol may impair their judgement, and should do so with caution.”
Dr. Parker also notes that zebrafish have “similar biological and behavioral responses to alcohol, and are a highly social species, making them ideal for studying the effects of alcohol on behavior.”
So, maybe next time you’re out, skip the energy drink!