Red Bull May Be Hurt by Alcohol Consumption

The journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research has just published a study that concludes that combining energy drinks with alcohol tends to increase overall desire to drink more, compared to when people drink alcohol alone. The research is particularly damning for Red Bull, because its product was used as the energy drink portion of the study.

According to the research:

Participants received a cocktail containing either 60 ml of vodka and a Red Bull® Silver Edition energy drink (alcohol+energy drink condition) or 60 ml of vodka with a soda water vehicle (alcohol-only condition).

And, Combining energy drinks with alcohol increased the urge to drink alcohol relative to drinking alcohol alone.

The mixing of energy drinks and alcohol has been under siege by scientists for some time. Red Bull and 5-Hour Energy have been the primary targets, almost certainly because of their tremendous overall sales.