A study conducted by Purdue University shows Jägerbombs and other caffeinated energy drinks mixed with alcohol have the same effect on the body as cocaine.
The go-to drinks for many partygoers and night owls might be a dangerous choice. The 2016 study unveiled the serious effects that the combination of energy drinks and booze might have on the human body, stating the mixture greatly affected the health and behavior of lab mice. Richard van Rijn, an assistant professor of medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology, said the mice showed both physical and neurochemical signs of change that were comparable to that of cocaine, according to the report by Purdue University.
New studies show drinking Jägerbombs could be just as harmful as taking Cocaine pic.twitter.com/18LZBOUnmO
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“These energy drinks can contain as much as 10 times the caffeine as soda and are often marketed to adolescents. But little is known about the health effects of the drinks, especially when consumed with alcohol during adolescence,” the report said.
“It seems the two substances together push them over a limit that causes changes in their behavior and changes the neurochemistry in their brains,” van Rijn said. “We’re clearly seeing effects of the combined drinks that we would not see if drinking one or the other.”
Van Rijn noted that the repeated exposure to caffeinated alcohol made the mice more active, similar to the response experienced when cocaine is consumed.
Increased levels of certain proteins that mark long-term changes in neurochemistry were also noted as being elevated in the same manner as that of human subjects who had abused cocaine or morphine, according to Purdue University.
“That’s one reason why it’s so difficult for drug users to quit because of these lasting changes in the brain,” van Rijn said.
The study found that frequently drinking Jägerbombs and similar beverages could also increase the likelihood of feeling a desire to use cocaine, or to push someone to use drugs such as cocaine later on. (RELATED: Rapper Allegedly Gobbled Up Cocaine During Traffic Stop To Hide It From Cops, Police Say)
“Mice that were exposed to highly caffeinated alcoholic drinks later found cocaine was not as pleasurable. They may then use more cocaine to get the same effect. Their brains have been changed in such a way they are more likely to abuse natural or pleasurable substances as adults,” van Rijn said.