New research shows that US teenagers who drink even one energy drink a week are more likely to binge on alcohol.
Binge drinking is defined as consuming six or more drinks in a single sitting.
The Journal of Paediatrics published a recent study that showed that US teenagers who consumed energy drinks were more likely to start experimenting with alcohol from as young as 12.
Researchers at the University of Dartmouth's Norris Cotton Cancer Centre said energy drinks, specifically those containing caffeine, could lessen teenagers' awareness of their drunkenness.
"Caffeine counters the depressant effects of alcohol, increasing alertness and leading to a longer timeframe of drinking," according to the researchers' report.
"These findings are concerning," said Dartmouth researcher and doctor Jennifer Emond.
"Given that underage drinking is a sensitive issue, it's possible that clinicians, parents, and teachers might open dialogues about alcohol use by starting the discussion on the topic of energy drinks."
Researchers cited older findings that energy-drink consumption by teenagers was an indicator of whether they had used cigarettes, dagga or amphetamines in the past 30 days.
Energy drinks are very popular with younger South Africans.
A study by Analytix in 2012 found that 6million South Africans had drunk at least one energy drink in the week before the survey.
It also found that more than 70% of this country's energy-drink consumers were between 15 and 39 years old.
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