Effects of Mixing Energy Drinks With Alcohol on Driving-Related Skills
Pérez-Mañá, Clara (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Farmacologia, de Terapèutica i de Toxicologia)
Mateus, Julián Andrés (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Farmacologia, de Terapèutica i de Toxicologia)
Díaz-Pellicer, Patricia (Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Catalunya))
Díaz-Baggerman, Ariadna (Universitat de Barcelona)
Pérez, Marta (Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Catalunya))
Pujadas, Mitona (Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Catalunya))
Fonseca, Francina 1972- (Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Catalunya))
Papaseit, Esther (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Farmacologia, de Terapèutica i de Toxicologia)
Pujol Nuez, Jesús (Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Catalunya))
Langohr, Klaus (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya)
De La Torre, Rafael (Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Catalunya))

Date:	2021
Abstract:	Energy drinks (EDs) reduce sleepiness and fatigue and improve driving performance whereas alcohol does just the opposite. Although it is a trendy combination among young people, the effects of alcohol mixed with EDs on driving performance have been poorly studied. The aim was to assess if there is an interaction between the effects of both drinks on driving-related skills as well as perceptions about driving ability. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled 4-way crossover clinical trial. Participants were 16 healthy volunteers. Interventions of 60 g of ethanol and 750 mL of Red Bull (RB) were administered in 2 separated doses. Conditions were alcohol + RB placebo, alcohol + RB, alcohol placebo + RB, and both placebos. Objective performance was assessed using a tracking test and simple reaction time, N-Back, and movement estimation tasks. Additionally, willingness to drive, other subjective effects, and ethanol and caffeine blood concentrations were also measured. Alcohol increased the time outside the road in the tracking test and increased simple reaction time, but the addition of RB had no main or interaction effects on performance. Nonetheless, driving-related skills after alcohol + RB were better than after alcohol alone. Willingness to drive increased with the combination of drinks. RB also reduced alcohol-induced sedation whereas drunkenness did not change. These effects were seen even though alcohol + RB increased alcohol (14. 8%) and caffeine plasma concentrations (17. 6%). Mixing EDs with alcohol predisposes consumers to drive under alcohol influence, perhaps in part because EDs counteract its detrimental effects on driving-related skills. : NCT02771587.
Grants:	Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad RD16/0017/0010 Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad JR15/00005 Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad JR16/00020
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Alcohol ; Energy drinks ; Caffeine ; Interaction ; Driving-related skills ; Pharmacokinetics ; Addiction
Published in:	International journal of neuropsychopharmacology, Vol. 25 (september 2021) , p. 13-25, ISSN 1469-5111

DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyab051
PMID: 34338762

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