Global Actions in Focus
stimulants added to alcohol beverages:
Research review and discussion paper
The Stimulants Added to Alcohol Beverages: Research Review and Discussion paper was recently posted on the Beer, Wine and Spirits Producers’ Commitments website. The paper addresses the commitment to provide consumer information and responsible product innovation, and discusses stimulants such as caffeine that are added to beverages, including beverage alcohol.
As outlined in the report, the term “stimulant” refers to substances associated with demonstrable or claimed improvements in cognitive, psychomotor or physical performance, increased alertness or wakefulness, or with energy-giving properties. The most common added stimulant in beverage alcohol is caffeine.
The paper classifies beverages with added stimulants into three categories: “energy drinks,” beverage alcohol mixed with energy drinks, and “caffeinated alcohol beverages.”
Prior to the emergence of energy drinks, caffeine and beverage alcohol were commonly combined through consumption of beverage alcohol with caffeinated mixers or activities such as drinking coffee after a meal with beverage alcohol. In recent years, research has focused on the physiological and behavioral effects of consuming energy drinks mixed with beverage alcohol or premixed alcohol beverages containing caffeine. The report reviews potential interactions between beverage alcohol and caffeine in this context and considers key points of debate raised in the literature. It also addresses how the body processes and metabolizes caffeine and cites research into the time needed to eliminate caffeine from the system.
Key Recent Milestones
· China: The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC) and Global Actions hosted a meeting to develop a capacity building toolkit for drink driving prevention in Beijing on August 13, 2013.
What's Happening Next
· USA: ICAP Program Manager Shushanna Mignott will be attending the Roadway Culture Safety Summit, hosted by the Transportation Research Board, in Washington, D.C., on August 20 and 21, 2013. The summit will focus on ways to effectively reduce the number and severity of road traffic crashes.
