To the Editor: In their analysis of caffeine toxicity related to energy drinks, Gunja and Brown identified that nearly one-quarter of calls concerning recreational use of energy drinks made to an Australian poisons centre reported co-ingestion of alcohol.1 While combining alcohol with energy drinks has been popular in Western countries since the early 2000s, there remains a dearth of research in this area, with no Australian data available on its prevalence,2 and only one Australian qualitative study has been published.3
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- 1. Gunja N, Brown JA. Energy drinks: health risks and toxicity. Med J Aust 2012; 196: 46-49. <MJA full text>
- 2. Pennay A, Lubman DI, Miller P. Combining energy drinks and alcohol: a recipe for trouble? Aust Fam Physician 2011; 40: 104-107.
- 3. Jones S, Barrie L, Berry N. Why (not) alcohol energy drinks? A qualitative study with Australian university students. Drug Alcohol Rev 2011 May 24. doi: 10.1111/j.1465-3362.2011.0 0319.x. [Epub ahead of print.]
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