Crossing caffeine with booze a dangerous mix
People heading out to the clubs might want to find a new favourite drink and start leaving the jager-bombs on the counter.
Researchers from Dalhousie University’s psychology and psychiatric departments completed a study last year on the effects of combining energy drinks with alcohol while drinking.
The study, published in the May 2010 edition of Drug and Alcohol Review, found that those who drank energy drinks in combination with alcohol drank significantly more than they did without energy drinks.
Caffeine content breakdown
Starbucks Venti brewed house blend = 415 mg
Tim Hortons large green tea = 35 mg
Regular cup (8 oz) of brewed coffee = 135 mg
Average can of cola = 36-46 mg
Standard (8.46 oz) can of Red Bull = 80 mg
Maximum recommended intake for adults = 400 mg daily.
*All content values are
approximations, as stated by sources.
- Sources: Energy Fiend,
Health Canada
Coffee’s hidden benefits, and costs
Coffee’s benefits . . .
- May have a lesser chance of obtaining Type 2 diabetes.
- Could increase chances of avoiding liver cancer and cirrhosis:
- Could lower the chances of gallstone disease.
- May decrease the risk of Parkinsonʼs disease.
Coffeeʼs downsides . . .
- More than three cups per day can cause insomnia, headaches, irritability, dehydration and nervousness.
The science of caffeine
Caffiene is considered to be a psycho stimulant.
It blocks adenosine — a chemical that helps people fall asleep — from adhering to its receptors in the brain.
Adenosine helps open up blood vessels. Blocking it constricts the brain’s blood vessels, which injects adrenaline into the system. This results in a ‘coffee boost’.
It increases the release of dopamine in the centre of the brain.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that activates pleasure centres in certain parts of the brain.
A stimulating history of caffeine
Caffeine has been the universal stimulant for hundreds of years — sometimes out of enjoyment, and sometimes out of necessity.
Europeans have been enjoying coffee since the 16th century, and people in the Middle East long before that, but the true “coffee culture” took a while to reach North America, according to Shannon Ripley of Equator Coffee, a company seeking to expand the use of fairly traded coffee in Canada.
