Insolite
Red Bull paid for the studies saying vodka Red Bulls are fine
An investigation by The Examination reveals a stark divide in research on mixing alcohol and energy drinks: 95% of studies funded by Red Bull or researchers
Ce qu'il faut retenir
- 95% of studies funded by Red Bull or written by researchers with financial ties to it found no added risk in mixing alcohol and energy drinks
- Roughly 80% of independent studies found mixing alcohol and energy drinks does carry added risk
- All three scientists who testified against Suffolk County's proposed age limit had taken Red Bull money
- Blaming energy drinks for alcohol-fueled injuries is like blaming shark attacks on ice cream sales
- A Boston University team walked away from a Red Bull-funded replication study because of its biased design
An investigation by The Examination reveals a stark divide in research on mixing alcohol and energy drinks: 95% of studies funded by Red Bull or researchers with financial ties to it found no added risk, whereas roughly 80% of independent studies found the opposite. In 2011, Suffolk County lawmakers dropped a proposed age limit after testimony from three scientists who had taken Red Bull money, including Dutch researcher Joris Verster. Critics point to flawed study designs, such as Verster's research only counting alcohol as mixed if consumed within two hours of an energy drink, despite caffeine's five-to-six-hour half-life.
Leurs propres mots
“The shark attacks are not caused by the ice cream sales”
“recruit for a study that we believe cannot test important hypotheses in an unbiased way.”
Les chiffres clés
- 95%
- of Red Bull-linked studies finding no added risk
- 80%
- of independent studies finding added risk
- 5 to 6 hours
- half-life of caffeine
- 2 hours
- Verster's study window for mixing alcohol and energy drinks
Le fil des événements
- Hearing held in Suffolk County on energy drink age limits
- Jonathan Howland wrote about refusing the biased study design
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Questions fréquentes
- Que s'est-il passé avec Red Bull's funding of scientific studies on mixing alcohol and energy drinks ?
- 95% of studies funded by Red Bull or written by researchers with financial ties to it found no added risk in mixing alcohol and energy drinks
- Où puis-je lire le rapport d'origine ?
- Retrouvez le rapport complet sur boing_boing.
