Caffeinated beverages may pose health risks to teens, according to researchers

By Staff Writer

Despite the media's recent focus on caffeinated alcoholic beverages, such as Four Loko, many experts agree that energy drinks alone can be a danger as well. According to researchers from the University of Maryland School of Public Health and Wake Forest University School of Medicine, highly-caffeinated beverages are often consumed with alcohol by teens and young adults.

The study, which is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests that new federal labeling requirements ought to provide consumers with more information regarding the danger of these substances.

Amelia Arria, University of Maryland School of Public Health researcher, said that more action needs to be taken to prevent young people from combining alcohol and caffeine. In addition, she recommends that energy drink labels should be required to list the amount of caffeine in the product.

The study cites the dangers of mixing alcohol with these beverages, such as increased consumption and related consequences. Sexual assault and driving while intoxicated have been linked to individuals who consume large quantities of these two substances.

Arria and co-author Mary Claire O'Brien were partly responsible for the actions taken against the makers of Four Loko.