Binge Drinking and Energy Drinks

Energy drinks are popular with many young people but older folks might develop a taste for them too as the result of a new study.

Researchers writing in the journal Science have found that taurine, a supplement found in energy drinks as well as some other foods, may slow the aging process. Their study of animals who received taurine found it helped them live longer.

After determining that the amount of this semi-essential amino acid decreases in humans and animals as they age, the researchers wanted to find out if boosting taurine would help.

“Supplementation with taurine slowed key markers of aging such as increased DNA damage, telomerase deficiency, impaired mitochondrial function, and cellular senescence,” the study authors wrote. “Loss of taurine in humans was associated with aging-related diseases, and concentrations of taurine and its metabolites increased in response to exercise. Taurine supplementation improved life span in mice and health span in monkeys.”

Blood concentration of taurine declines with age in mice, monkeys, and humans. To investigate whether this decline contributes to aging, the researchers fed taurine or a control solution once a day to middle-aged, wild-type female and male mice until the end of their lives. 

The results

The mice that got the taurine, both male and female, lived longer than the mice that did not get the supplement. How much longer?

The scientists say the median life span of taurine-treated mice increased by 10% to 12%, and life expectancy at 28 months increased by about 18% to 25%. 

“A meaningful antiaging therapy should not only improve life span but also health span, the period of healthy living,” the researchers wrote. “We, therefore, investigated the health of taurine-fed middle-aged mice and found an improved functioning of bone, muscle, pancreas, brain, fat, gut, and immune system, indicating an overall increase in health span. We observed similar effects in monkeys.”

Other sources of taurine

You don’t have to consume energy drinks to get a boost of taurine. It’s also found in meat and fish. It’s also available in supplement form.

The Mayo Clinic advises that taurine, in certain amounts, is a safe ingredient in energy drinks. However, it cautions that energy drinks have other ingredients, such as caffeine, that may be problematic.

The big question, however, is whether taurine supplements will improve health or increase longevity in humans. The researchers say the next step is to conduct clinical trials using human subjects.

As always, any change in diet or supplement use should be discussed with a healthcare professional.

Recent studies have found that many consumers have increased their alcohol intake over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, a new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society shows that older consumers have adopted potentially dangerous drinking habits during the same time period. 

According to their findings, binge drinking has increased among older men over the last few years. However, older women’s drinking has stayed consistent over time. 

“Our study brings the most up-to-date findings on trends in binge drinking in older age, especially the unnoticed importance of understanding the unique demographic characteristics of binge drinking that differ in men and women given gender norms and expectations of societies that are consistently evolving,” said researcher Dr. Tala Al-Rousan. 

Tracking older consumers’ drinking habits

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from nearly 19,000 adults over the age of 65 enrolled in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health between 2015 and 2019. Participants answered questions about how much they were drinking and how often they were drinking within the previous month. 

The researchers learned that there was a spike in binge drinking among older men in recent years. When the study began in 2015, under 13% of men were binge drinking; by 2019, that number jumped to nearly 16%. For the purposes of this study, binge drinking was defined for men as having five or more drinks at once, and for women as having four or more drinks. 

The study also suggests that different factors may contribute to the likelihood of women and men engaging in binge drinking. Across the board, using tobacco or cannabis was associated with greater alcohol use. Marital status solely impacted men’s binge drinking, whereas educational accomplishments impacted women’s drinking habits. 

“We noted an increased frequency in education among binge drinking older women,” Al-Rousan said. “Women with more education may have more opportunities to drink and may be less constricted by gender norms against women consuming alcohol.” 

Moving forward, the researchers hope these findings inspire health care professionals to discuss the potential risks associated with heavy alcohol use with their older patients. 

“Our findings would encourage health providers who care for older men and women with chronic conditions who are at risk of binge drinking to offer tailored messages that are targeted at certain chronic conditions,” Al-Rousan stated. 

Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts have found that consumers have turned to alcohol to help manage their stress levels. Now, a new study conducted by researchers from the Taylor and Francis Group has explored the long-term alcohol habits consumers have adopted during 2020. 

According to their findings, consumers are more likely to binge drink if they spend more time at home quarantining.

“Increased time spent at home is a life stressor that impacts drinking, and the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated this stress,” said researcher Sitara Weerakoon. 

More consumers turning to alcohol

To get an idea of how consumers across the country have used alcohol since the start of the pandemic, the researchers surveyed nearly 2,000 adults from mid-March through mid-April. Respondents reported on several life factors, including their current living situation, who they were home with every day, their job status, how long they had spent in lockdown, and their total alcohol consumption. 

The researchers learned that 34 percent of the participants were binge drinking while at home during lockdown, and the likelihood of binge drinking increased by nearly 20 percent for each week the participants were home. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), binge drinking is defined as men who consume five or more drinks in two hours and women who consume four or more drinks in that time. The researchers learned that the heaviest drinkers before the pandemic consumed as many as seven drinks in one sitting while at home during lockdown. 

The study also revealed that those who were binge drinkers before the pandemic were 60 percent more likely to increase their alcohol intake during stay-at-home orders, whereas those who were light drinkers before the pandemic were less than 30 percent as likely to drink more during quarantine. 

In terms of socioeconomic factors, the researchers learned that 70 percent of the participants who were the heaviest drinkers were also making higher-than-average salaries. 

Mental health plays a role

The study revealed an important mental health component that was associated with heavier drinking during the pandemic. According to the researchers, participants who had reported either currently or previously struggling with depression were more likely to binge drink during lockdown orders. 

Moving forward, the researchers hope that more work is done to better understand the relationship between alcohol and depression so that support services are better tailored and made more widely available for those in need. 

“Future research should consider the potential for depressive symptoms acting as a moderator (a factor that changes the impact) in the relation between the time spent under a shelter-in-place mandate (lockdown) and binge drinking,” Weerakoon said. “Additional research is (also) needed to develop best treatment for people with substance use disorders who may be more susceptible to adverse health outcomes.”

As consumers’ thirst for carbonated beverages continues its decline, Pepsico, the maker of Pepsi and Mountain Dew, is moving to fortify its beverage portfolio with a major energy drink brand.

The food and beverage giant has announced the acquisition of Rockstar Energy Beverages for $3.85 billion. 

"As we work to be more consumer-centric and capitalize on rising demand in the functional beverage space, this highly strategic acquisition will enable us to leverage PepsiCo's capabilities to both accelerate Rockstar's performance and unlock our ability to expand in the category with existing brands such as Mountain Dew," said PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta. 

Pepsico already has a relationship with Rockstar because it distributes it to retailers along with the company’s other beverages. The acquisition improves Pepsico’s energy beverage position in relation to Coca-Cola, which owns a major stake in Monster Beverages.

"Over time, we expect to capture our fair share of this fast-growing, highly profitable category and create meaningful new partnerships in the energy space," Laguarta said.

Active lifestyle consumers

Rockstar has been around since its founding in 2001, marketing its product as a beverage for consumers who lead an active lifestyle, such as athletes. The company says its products come in over 30 flavors and are sold at convenience and grocery stores worldwide.

With the addition of Rockstar, PepsiCo's energy drink portfolio will include Mountain Dew's Kickstart, GameFuel, and AMP. Russ Weiner, Rockstar's founder, says the acquisition is the continuation of what he says has been a strong partnership since 2009.

"PepsiCo shares our competitive spirit and will invest in growing our brand even further,” he said. “I'm proud of what we built and how we've changed the game in the energy space." 

Energy beverages are formulated to increase mental alertness and physical performances for consumers by stepping up caffeine content, along with other additives like vitamins and herbal supplements. Energy drinks are especially popular among young consumers, making them attractive to legacy beverage manufacturers looking for long-term growth.

Health concerns

The products have been the subject of concern by health officials as they’ve grown in popularity. A 2019 study by researchers at the American Heart Association cautioned consumers to use the products in moderation.

The study found that drinking 32 ounces of an energy drink can affect the heart’s normal functioning and also dramatically shift consumers’ blood pressure.

“Energy drinks are readily accessible and commonly consumed by a large number of teens and young adults, including college students,” researcher Kate O’Dell said when the study was released. “Understanding how these drinks affect the heart is extremely important.”

A new study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology finds that college graduates who binge drink multiple times per month are less likely to be hired.

Researchers from Tel Aviv University and Cornell University say that applicants are 1.4 percent less likely to land a job for each instance of binge drinking throughout any given month. They define “binge drinking” as having four or more alcoholic drinks within two hours for women, or five or more alcoholic drinks within two hours for men.

"The manner in which students drink appears to be more influential than how much they drink when it comes to predicting the likelihood of getting a job upon graduation," said study co-author Professor Peter Bamberger.

The study analyzed 827 participants who graduated from Cornell, the University of Washington, the University of Florida, and the University of Michigan between 2014 and 2016. The researchers found that non-binge pattern drinking didn’t affect prospective employment, but the likelihood of negative outcomes built quickly as soon as drinking behaviors hit binge levels.

"A student who binge-drinks four times a month has a 6 percent lower probability of finding a job than a student who does not engage in similar drinking habits. Those students who drank heavily six times a month increased their unemployment probability to 10 percent," said Bamberger.

While the study results may be shocking to some, previous studies suggest that binge drinking among college students is actually declining overall. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) says that binge drinking declined every year from 2005 to 2014 among college students; however, excessive drinking was still found to be problematic among non-college students.

One of the stigmas commonly attached to college students is their penchant for excessive drinking and partying. But new findings indicate that binge drinking is actually down among college students as a whole.

Researchers from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) say that binge drinking declined every year from 2005 to 2014 among college students. However, they say that the practice is becoming more prevalent among young people who aren’t in college. Study author Ralph Hingson, Sc.D., M.P.H., says the problem may stem from differences in social structure.

"Among young adults who aren't in college, there aren't the same organizational supports to implement interventions, and that may be contributing to why binge drinking is increasing in that group," he said.

Interventions stymie binge drinking

Research for the study first began back in 1998 when NIAAA created a task force to analyze and come up with solutions for excessive drinking among college students.

The group found that binge drinking and related problems increased among college students aged 18-24 between 1999 and 2005. By the end of that period, 45% of college students reported drinking more than 5 drinks on an occasion at least once in the last 30 days, and 28% admitted to driving while under the influence of alcohol.

However, over the next decade those numbers began declining. By 2014, reports of binge drinking declined from 45% to 37%, and reports of driving while under the influence declined to 17%. Hingson theorizes that there were many factors that led to this change, but chief among them may have been an increased focus on interventions by college administrators.

“Both individually oriented interventions and environmental policy interventions were identified," he said. "Possibly, as the intervention evidence accumulated and was disseminated, more colleges expanded the reach and repertoire of their interventions."

Young people still at risk

Unfortunately, findings for non-college students during this period did not improve. The researchers found that binge drinking among non-college students increased from 36% to 40% between 1999 and 2014. They say that it’s important that these young people are also targeted with interventions to cut the rate of extreme binge drinking, which has become a serious public health concern.

“Persistent high levels of heavy episodic drinking and related problems among emerging adults underscore a need to expand individually oriented interventions, college/community collaborative programs, and evidence-supported policies to reduce their drinking and related problems,” the researchers concluded.

The full study has been published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

In a recent study, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) found that binge drinking is becoming a growing problem in the U.S., with 32 million Americans admitting to having more than four drinks on any one occasion in 2013.

While it’s bad enough that adults are engaging in these unhealthy behaviors, researchers from Oregon State University say that teens are reporting heavy drinking habits as well. In a recent mini review, assistant professor Anita Cservenka says that this is particularly dangerous because of the adverse effects that alcohol can have on brain health.

"Adolescence is a time when the brain still matures including not only biological development but also maturation of psychosocial behaviours,” she said. “Given the increase of binge and heavy drinking in young people, understanding the effects of consuming large quantities of alcohol on neural development and the impact on cognitive skills is very important.”

Alcohol use disorders

The review analyzed cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of young binge and heavy drinkers and how their habits affected their brain structure. In particular, the researchers examined six areas of brain development: response inhibition, working memory, verbal learning and memory, decision making and reward processing, alcohol cue reactivity, and socio-cogntive/socio-emotional processing.

MRI scans taken of patients’ brains showed that binge and heavy-drinking teens and young adults had brains that were physically different from teens who didn’t drink. Specifically, the researchers said that teens who drank had systematically thinner and lower volume in the prefrontal cortex and cerebellar regions of their brain, as well as reduced white matter development. This is crucial, they say, because these brain areas play a key role in memory, attention, language, awareness, and consciousness.

Additionally, the findings showed that young people who excessively drink alcohol can alter the neural structure of their brains over time, which could make them more susceptible to having alcohol dependence issues when they get older.

“[The] brain alterations, as a result of heavy alcohol use during adolescence and young adulthood, could result in increased risk of developing an alcohol use disorder later on in life,” said Cservenka. “It is therefore important to continue raising awareness of the risks of binge drinking and to promote future research in this area.”

The full study has been published in Frontiers of Psychology.

Energy drinks have recently risen in popularity on the back of brands like Red Bull and Monster, but researchers have been leery of the beverages for the last couple of years. In 2015, we reported that these drinks had been linked to sudden cardiac deaths in young people, most likely due to masked health problems that are exacerbated by the drinks’ caffeine content.

Now, researchers from Australia are saying that energy drinks could trigger serious cardiac events in people who have a specific genetic heart disease called congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS). The condition, which affects around 1 in every 2,000 people, can cause rapid, irregular heartbeat that could be fatal, especially to those who aggravate the condition by consuming energy drinks.

"The potential cardiovascular risk of energy drinks continues to emerge as an important public health issue. The population most at risk is teenagers and young adults, representing the population these drinks are most heavily marketed towards. Since energy drinks are widely available to all ages and over the counter, it is important that cardiovascular effects of these drinks are investigated," said lead investigator Dr. Christopher Semsarian.

Increased risk of sudden cardiac death

In their study, Semsarian and his colleagues found that patients who had LQTS and drank energy drinks had sharp increases in blood pressure that could be fatal. Twenty-four patients between the ages of 16 and 50 were recruited for the study, with half being assigned to the experimental group and half acting as the control group.

Participants in the experimental group were asked to drink two cans of sugar-free Red Bull, which contained approximately 160 mg of caffeine and 2,000 mg of taurine, while the control group drank the same amount of a cordial-based drink that had no caffeine or taurine.

After consuming the products, all participants had electrocardiograms and blood pressure readings taken every 10 minutes to see what effect the beverages had on their body. The researchers found that three of the patients in the experimental group (12.5%) had very high blood pressure readings and “exhibited dangerous QT prolongation,” which could result in sudden cardiac death.

Health risks must be considered

The researchers admit that the participants in this study were especially susceptible to negative health risks associated with energy drink consumption; all patients had a documented family history of sudden cardiac death and more than half had symptoms of LQTS and had received beta-blocker therapy.  

However, to the many people who have LQTS and may not know it, these drinks may still represent a big danger. And since the number of consumers who drink these beverages continues to grow with time, the researchers say that their results indicate a serious health threat that must be addressed.

"When something, in this case energy drinks, is ingested by millions of individuals all over the world, a percentage such as 12.5% is no longer small, and the findings deserve careful consideration," said co-author Dr. Federica Dagradi.

The full study has been published in the International Journal of Cardiology.

Disruption is all around us, from Amazon changing the face of retail to media moving from radios and TVs to mobile devices.

Add this to the list: science is finding simple, free, or cheap things can improve our health without expensive prescription medication.

As we recently reported, researchers have concluded that walking up and down stairs for 10 minutes boosts energy levels better than coffee or energy drinks that contain caffeine. It's not only free, it can also improve heart health.

Now, researchers at Wake Forest have come up with another disrupter -- simple exercise and drinking juice made from beet roots may be the closest thing yet to a Fountain of Youth.

A more youthful brain

Writing in the Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, the researchers claim the combination improved brain function in older people to more closely match that of a much younger adult.

Beets have long been considered a health food because they are rich in dietary nitrate, which the body converts to nitrite and then nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is particularly efficient in the body because it increases blood flow and targets areas that need it.

The researchers say exercise is good because it increases blood flow to the brain. The shot of nitric oxide from the beet juice just boosts the effect.

The researchers site a number of previous studies that link nitrate in beets to better physical performance among people of all ages. It's credited with helping people who suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, and hypertension. This is the first time, however, that scientists have suggested beet juice might counter some of the effects of aging.

Yuck!

There's just one problem the researchers acknowledge. Beets are not exactly a culinary delight. At least, not everyone thinks so.

“No one loves beet juice,” said Daniel Kim-Shapiro, physics professor, director of the Translational Science Center at Wake Forest and co-author of the study. “Well, I do. I down the stuff.”

For those who are not so fond of straight beet juice, the Wake Forest researchers have thoughtfully pointed us to some recipes that might make getting that nitric oxide shot a little more palatable.

• Bright, beautiful and easy breakfast

• Fresh and delicious salad

• Pizza’s healthier cousin

• Hearty and earthy main dish

• Elegant enough for a dinner party

Consumers spend lots of money on energy drinks and coffee to get an extra energy boost. But it turns out it's an unnecessary expense.

At least that's what researchers at the University of Georgia say.

Their study, published in the journal Physiology and Behavior, found instead of loading up on caffeine, all you need to do is walk up and down stairs for 10 minutes. That's it.

Doing so, they claim, provides the same energy boost as 50 milligrams of caffeine, which is about the equivalent to what's in a can of soda.

Co-author Patrick O'Connor, a professor in the department of kinesiology, said participants in the study, whether they got caffeine or a placebo, didn't feel any difference. In other words, the got no caffeine kick.

A temporary effect

"But with exercise they did feel more energetic and vigorous," he said. "It was a temporary feeling, felt immediately after the exercise, but with the 50 milligrams of caffeine, we didn't get as big an effect."

The aim of the study was to help people who work long days in an office, where workers spend long hours sitting. It's no coincidence that most offices have a coffee room, where many employees seek an afternoon energy boost.

But the Georgia researchers say just walking up and down stairs at a low-intensity pace actually delivers more energy while providing obvious health benefits.

Easy access

"Office workers can go outside and walk, but weather can be less than ideal. It has never rained on me while walking the stairs," said O'Connor. "And a lot of people working in office buildings have access to stairs, so it's an option to keep some fitness while taking a short break from work."

The people in the study were female college students who said they were usually tired because they got so little sleep at night -- usually six and a half hours or less.

To test whether caffeine or exercise contributed more energy, each group were tested for how well they performed certain cognitive tasks. Neither the caffeine nor the stairs helped much when it came to staying focused. However, those walking the stairs had a small increase in motivation for work.

One cautionary note: Before you try this, make sure you can get back into your office from the stairwell. You may have to go all the way to ground level and exit the building. That's not necessarily bad but it can be a shock if you're not prepared for it.

Americans love their caffeine. Whether it's in coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, or energy drinks, we seem to need a caffeine buzz to get through the day.

But does all that caffeine cause heart problems? According to the American Heart Association, the jury is still out.

“Many studies have been done to see if there's a direct link between caffeine, coffee drinking and coronary heart disease,” the association reports on its website. “The results are conflicting. This may be due to the way the studies were done and confounding dietary factors. However, moderate coffee drinking (1–2 cups per day) doesn't seem to be harmful.”

But how about energy drinks, which also contain caffeine and are consumed with the expressed purpose of gaining a physical or mental boost?

Case study

A case report in the Journal of Addiction Medicine concludes the high levels of caffeine in energy drinks “may lead to cardiac complications.” The report focused on a 28-year old man treated in the emergency room for heart arrhythmias. The man, who also suffered from obesity, said he routinely drank two Monster energy drinks per day containing a total of 320 milligrams of caffeine. He also drank alcohol on a daily basis.

Until 2010, many energy drinks also contained alcohol, but that combination was outlawed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). But how about energy drinks consumed without alcohol? Is the caffeine content alone enough to cause heart problems?

An international study last year concluded that consumption of energy drinks by otherwise healthy young people could aggravate underlying heart issues. It found these beverages' high amounts of caffeine and sugar could cause young people to develop dangerous heart arrhythmias.

Treatment resolved the issue

In the case of the 28-year old patient in the case report, researchers say medication resolved the atrial fibrillation after 48 hours. A one-year follow-up showed no signs of the arrhythmia.

"We believe that energy drink consumption played a key role," the authors write.

They stress that the 160 mg caffeine content of a Monster energy drink is about four times higher than in a caffeinated soft drink. However, it should be pointed out that heavy coffee consumption might include even higher levels of caffeine. But the researchers suggest the possibility that other ingredients in energy drinks might heighten caffeine's effects.

They conclude more research is this area is needed and that, in the meantime, health care providers should question patients about energy drink consumption when they treat them for heart problems.

A new study from Loyola Medicine and Loyola University Chicago shows that drinking excessive amounts of alcohol is not only bad for your liver – it can also have a severe impact on your lungs.

Researchers have found that those who drink alcohol have less nitric oxide in their lungs than those who do not. This is important because nitric oxide helps protect these vital organs from harmful bacteria that often cause infection.

Dr. Majid Afshar, lead author of the study, confirms the finding, saying that “alcohol appears to disrupt the healthy balance in the lung.” He and his colleagues believe that their findings could be important to those who abuse alcohol and those who are affected by asthma, since altered levels of nitric oxide could create complications with medication.

Increased risk of infection

The researchers came to their conclusions after studying over 12,000 adults who participated in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health and Examination Survey between 2007 and 2012. Those included in the study were asked about their level of alcohol consumption and were given physical examinations that measured levels of nitric oxide in their lungs.

Out of all the participants, the researchers found that 26.9% could be classified as excessive drinkers, defined as an individual who had more than one drink per day on average for women and two drinks per day for men. After controlling for several variables, the test results showed that these individuals exhaled lower levels of nitric oxide than those who did not drink. This correlation was proven to be pervasive; the more that participants reported drinking, the lower their levels of nitric oxide were.

These findings indicate that the likelihood of respiratory infections is much higher for those who drink excessively. Asthma patients need to be especially cautious, the researchers say. Measuring nitric oxide levels for these individuals is extremely common in order to see how well certain medications are working. Afshar and his colleagues believe that consuming alcohol may invalidate or obscure those results, which could lead to improper dosage recommendations.

The full study has been published the journal Chest.