The Environmental Health Unit in the Ministry of Health has indicated that it will increase its vigilance in the retail and wholesale trade to intercept caffeinated alcoholic beverages.

The announcement was made Friday after The Sunday Gleaner made inquiries about whether the ministry was aware if such drinks are being sold on the local market.

On Friday, the Ministry of Health told The Sunday Gleaner that it has not identified any permit for the importation of caffeinated alcoholic beverage.

But new research has suggested that the practice of mixing drinks may be dangerous.

Research in the United States has suggested that it is dangerous to consume alcohol and caffeine. The research dismissed as a myth, the notion that ingesting coffee after a bout of drinking could make a person sober again.

The scientists who conducted laboratory experiments on mice, in which caffeine made drunken rodents more alert, found that caffeine did not reverse learning problems caused by alcohol.

disastrous outcomes

Thomas Gould, PhD, of Temple University, and one of the study authors said in a news release published in the journal Behav-ioural Neuroscience that "the co-use of caffeine and alcohol could actually lead to poor decisions with disastrous outcomes".

"People who have consumed only alcohol, who feel tired and intoxicated, may be more likely to acknowledge that they are drunk," Gould said.

The potential effect of the mixture is not lost on local authorities.

"Both caffeine and alcohol are capable of increasing one's blood pressure. If there is a high concen-tration of both, the combination might not be safe," the Ministry of Health said.

"Caffeine may increase a person's sense of alertness and can mask the effects of alcohol. This could lead to the person ingesting larger-than-normal quantities of the drink. In essence, one could be alert but still be drunk," the ministry added.

Recently, the Food and Drug Administration in the USA indicated to makers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages that they need to prove they are safe in order to be able to stay on the market.

creates illusion

The recent research in the United States found that caffeine's effect as a stimulant may create the illusion in intoxicated people that they are alert and competent.

The researchers write that although a combination of caffeine and alcohol consumed by people "may increase alertness during intoxication, and decrease the awareness of intoxication, there may be no equivalent rescue of learning. Thus, drinkers may consume more alcohol when they are also consuming caffeine".

"People who have consumed both alcohol and caffeine may feel awake and competent enough to handle potentially harmful situations, such as driving while intoxicated or placing themselves in dangerous social situations," the researchers said.

Responding to the report, Paula Fletcher, executive director, National Road Safety Council, said it was alarming and urged Jamaicans to pay attention to their alcohol intake and drink responsibly.

potential danger

"It is a bit disturbing to know that combined with alcohol, caffeine can create a potential danger of which the person consuming it is not really aware," Fletcher said.

She added: "People need to know the effects of mixing these drinks; we perhaps need to begin to talk to this matter so that people could know the position it could place them in behind the wheels."

As at last Friday, 312 persons had died on the road, the same as the corresponding period last year. Three hundred and forty-three persons died on the roads last year.

"We are appealing to the people of Jamaica to understand that people are going to die and continue to die if we break the rules of the road.

"If we don't observe the rules of the road, the statistics are going to climb. We are appealing to people to drink responsibly, ensure that the designated driver has not been drinking ... and based on on this new report, be careful when you decide to mix alcohol with caffeine," Fletcher said.

daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com