A study of stimulant drink consumption among 10- to 35year-olds in Ireland will begin in March. A Food Safety Promotion Board committee has reviewed current scientific literature and identified a lack of knowledge about the health effects of stimulant drinks.
There is insufficient information on consumption patterns, in particular the effects of peak consumption. Information is also required to determine the manner in which these drinks are consumed, on their own or as a mixer.
Interactions between taurine and other ingredients such as caffeine and glucuronolactone with substances such as alcohol or drugs also need to be investigated.
In addition to the consumption survey, the committee will undertake a review of the marketing and advertising of stimulant drinks. There is no internationally agreed definition of such drinks.
The committee has agreed the following definition: "Beverages which typically contain caffeine, taurine, vitamin(s), an energy source and/or other substance(s) marketed for the specific purpose of providing real or perceived physiological and/or performance effects".
The committee is to report to the Minister of State for Health and Children, Dr Tom Moffat, in December. A recommendation for research into the drinks was made last year by a jury at the inquest of a Limerick student, Mr Ross Cooney (18), who died in 1999 during a basketball match. He drank up to three cans of Red Bull a day.
The jury recorded a verdict of death from Sudden Adult Death Syndrome. The inquest heard no evidence that Red Bull was responsible for Mr Cooney's death.