According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, excessive alcohol use causes one in 10 deaths among adults ages 20 to 64 in the U.S. In recent years, numerous studies have focused on consumption of increasingly popular alcohol mixed with energy drink (AmED). A number of studies have shown associations between consumption of AmED and heavier drinking. These studies often imply that consumption of AmED likely causes heavier drinking.
A new study, led by Matthew Rossheim, assistant professor in the Department of Global and Community Health, explores an alternative hypothesis. Since young adults often consume a variety of alcoholic beverage types, is heavier alcohol consumption associated with greater odds of consuming any type of alcohol, including but not limited to AmED? The study is published in Addictive Behaviors.
“The relationship between alcohol mixed with energy drink use and heavier drinking may be misinterpreted,” Rossheim said. “Our goal was to examine whether the observed relationship was unique to energy drinks.”
The authors collected data in Florida and Texas from 511 college bar patrons as they left the last bar they were visiting that night. Participants were asked about all of the drinks they consumed that night, including what type of mixers were used.
Study results showed that most alcoholic beverage types were associated with greater alcohol consumption; these associations were not unique to AmED consumption. Thus, results support the hypothesis that AmED use could be a marker of heavy drinking, not necessarily a cause. However, the two hypotheses are not mutually exclusive.
“More research is needed to determine whether alcohol mixed with energy drink use causes heavier drinking,” Rossheim said.