Wake Forest research cited in states' call against new energy drink
Attorneys general from 25 states are asking MillerCoors LLC not to introduce a planned caffeinated alcoholic beverage. They cite research from Wake Forest University that found the drinks more dangerous than alcohol alone.
The drink, Sparks Red, had been scheduled for introduction Oct. 1. That plan is now on hold while the company talks with the state officials. North Carolina is not one of the states.
Its alcohol content is as much as 8 percent -- significantly more than that of other alcoholic energy drinks.
The state officials cite research by Mary Claire O'Brien, associate professor of emergency medicine and public health sciences at Wake Forest University. The research, published earlier this year, found that college students who mixed alcohol with energy drinks were more likely to experience alcohol-related problems, such as sexual assault or injury, than those who drank alcohol alone.
O'Brien says students often believe, incorrectly, that the caffeine counters the effects of alcohol.
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