The Dangers of Red Bull
Nov 25th, 2008 | By Hiram | Category: Fitness
“Red Bull gives you wings” say the commercials. But it turns out that misusing energy drinks, including the industry leader Red Bull, can give you health problems as well.
The premise sounds good – drinking a beverage that gives you extra energy, and nowadays, who can’t use a little extra energy? Energy drinks have become a 1.1 Billion dollar industry with all of the major producers, and most of the smaller ones, jumping to get a piece of the action.
Targeted primarily to teens and young adults, energy drinks combine varying amounts of caffeine, vitamins, sugar, and other ingredients such as taurine and ginseng. Most energy drinks have the same amount of caffeine as 1-2 cups of coffee. Red Bull in particular has the equivalent of 1 cup of coffee, Jolt Cola the equivalent of about 3 cups.
So where’s the down side?
There are several in my opinion.
First, I’m not a big caffeine junkie having learned the hard way how addictive it can be (I used to pound down a six-pack of Dr. Pepper every day). If you’ve ever been “hooked” on caffeine and then tried to quit, you know how bad caffeine addiction can be. Anything that is that addictive can’t be good for your body.
Second, mixing Red Bull with vodka has become a very popular drink. Combining the Red Bull (or any energy drink) with alcohol is a really bad idea. According to experts, the caffeine in the Red Bull can mask the effects of the alcohol. In other words, people actually become more drunk than they think they are. This can lead to some really bad decisions – like deciding to drive yourself home, for example.
Third, researchers are finding that drinking energy drinks such as Red Bull may increase the risk of stroke and heart attack, even in young adults. Studies have shown that healthy blood vessels can show some signs of damage after drinking just one can. It’s for this reason that Red Bull is banned in France, Norway, Denmark, and Uruguay with other countries currently performing studies of their own.
What’s my take?
Well, those that know me know that I don’t believe in artificial stimulants. If you don’t have enough energy to make it through the day, then you’re not getting enough sleep, exercise, or proper nutrition. There should be no reason to “boost” your energy level by artificial means. If you’re in good health, you should be able to do this naturally. My advice is to learn how to balance your health the natural way and ditch the artificial “crutches.”
Lastly, if you do enjoy energy drinks such as Red Bull, drink them responsively. That means don’t drink too many, don’t drink them when performing strenuous physical activities or playing sports, and for God’s sake, don’t mix them with alcohol.
Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy
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I can appreciate the viewpoint of staying free of stimulants, but they aren’t inherently bad either. There have been studies suggesting the benefits of coffee. A new just came out saying how it may help with long-term mental health, and in the past has been shown to help prevent diabetes and even gout.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/24/health/research/24coffee.html?_r
It’s not so much “staying free” of stimulants, it’s not being dependent on them. I still drink the occasional soft drink, cup of hot cocoa, or eat a chocolate candy bar – all of which contain caffeine. However, I don’t need them in order to function at peak levels.
My other point is to use all stimulants responsively including not taking them in unhealthy combinations, like with alcohol.
Try to keep the use of stimulants in balance with the other things and activities that make up a healthy lifestyle.
Hiram
I THINK ITS STUUPID THAT PEOPLE DRINK REDBULL, I MEAN SERIOUSLY IT ONLY KILLS YOU!!!
People do some crazy things to be “cool” or to get a “buzz.” What they don’t consider is the real cost to their health.
I know that when you’re young, you feel invincible – that nothing you do or drink can hurt you. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
Hiram
I just drank a red bull and cant go to sleep !!!!
AUGH !!! HELP !! BUZZZ!!!
I think that energy drinks should be banned from the U.S all it is doing to our people is making them jittery
My company does a lot of work at the chemical plants and refineries along the Houston Ship Channel. Many of these plants have recognized the danger in drinking too many of these drinks, especially during the hot Houston summer, and have started limiting – or in many cases actually prohibiting – these types of “energy” drinks.
Hiram
have you got any tips to stop drinking red bull?
i haven’t even been drinking it every day but when i stop i get really bad migraines in the afternoon and ba-a-ad cravings.
Kaori:
Sorry Dude but a caffeine addiction is just that — an addiction. You kick the habit the same way you kick any other addiction. You’ve got two basic options: trying to “phase” it out of your life by reducing the amount over time until you can kick it completely, or by just stopping “cold turkey.”
Stopping cold turkey is what I did to get off Cokes, Dr. Peppers, and other caffeinated soft drinks. I did it over a weekend and yes, I suffered the migraines and aches as my body rid itself. All I did was lay on the couch with the TV on in the background, took lots of aspirin, and sweated it out.
Phasing it out takes longer, but is easier to deal with. Either reduce the amount of Red Bull you’re drinking, or switch to other drinks (like coffee, tea, or soft drinks) that have less caffeine until you’re at a point where you can just stop.
Once you’ve kicked it, here’s the key (and where I’ve fallen off the wagon in the past) – you need to stay away from it, period. If you don’t, you’ll be right back where you started. You can convince yourself that “just one isn’t going to hurt” but it does and before you know it, you’re back up to several a day.
It sounds extreme but you have to look at caffeine the same way you look at alcohol or drug addiction. You kick the habit and “stay clean” in much the same way.
I know there are a lot of articles about the beneficial health effects of caffeine. You might even get me to agree that a little caffeine might be good for you. But here’s the problem: most people just aren’t satisfied with “a little.” After a while, it takes more and more to give you the same “buzz.” Next thing you know, you’re hooked.
Maybe I’m being a little extreme here but looking at it this way was the only way I was able to kick the caffeine habit myself. You can do it too if you’re determined enough.
Hiram
i m scard 2 read that we all have 2 leave that and the good energ
drink is milk we have to drink milk as energy drink and honey is the natural enery booster ami right than try this
and i hope this will be good for all of us
byeeeeee
i am not an avid energy drink consumer but i have drank redbull twice. both times i suffered none of the many things that others complain of -eg. lack of sleep, energy high etc. the same goes for coffee which i love cos of the aroma and the taste as well. i am addicted to neither of them and i have never been addicted to anything. i have also never found it difficult to stay away from anything as soon as i decide to .eg. carbonated soft drinks, coffee or any other thing that is not drugs but that people get addicted to.
as for energy drinks, especially red bull, i can understand why it gets all the negative publicity-bcos it is the market leader, but dont u know that when u make statements about energy drinks and then refer to them as “red bull and other energy drinks u are causing bias?
what makes u think that people will stop consuming energy drinks or ok, reduce their intake? it is more likely that people will stop drinking red bull cos it is dangerous and will take up consuming other energy drinks not mentioned in this article.
i think that when such articles are written there should be no generalisation especially when it pertains to a whole segment of the market.
besides, some, infact a lot of us dont get addicted to anything so u should strike off addiction aas a main side effect. Poo Poo who said he cant sleep should be asked why he drank red bull and why instead of calling his doctor he wrote on the web that he cant sleep.
the allegations to red bull in this article and the posts following is utterly preposterous and lack basis.
thank you
Redbull is actually getting more popular nowadays, even if it is bad for you, the only thing that people realize is that it gives you a lot of business, and nowadays, that is what people want. Thats why it is not banned in France anymore. Please update your article by the way because a few of those named countries have allowed redbull. The only reason why redbull was banned in france was because of a small drug found in redbull, harmless, but still illegal in France, they fixed that up and that is why we know have redbull in france.
So RedBull is bad for you and illegal in several countries….. yet smoking, which kills millions and millions of people every year is deemed legal and morally ok in every government (likely due to the amount of revenue they make, in taxes..)
Lets face it, anything you eat or drink to excess, do or don’t do, is going to bad or at some point kill you. Even water, (a necessary and harmless liquid) can kill you if you drink too much of it in a short space of time (Water intoxication).
Really, we should be educating people about moderation. In fats/foods to reduce obesity/cholesterol, alcahol to reduce cirrhosis, smoking to reduce cancers, etc etc.
I don’t smoke or drink hot drinks, coffee/tea, but have 1-2 cans of redbull to get me through the day, where typically my average work colleagues will of had, 6-10 cigarettes and as many coffee/tea’s between a 9-to-5.. Some how I consider my cans of redbull the healthier option, but then, that maybe my addiction talking.
MJ – I don’t think it’s your “addiction” talking but you are right – it all depends on context. Whether RedBull is good or bad totally depends on what else you’re eating/drinking/doing and moderation is key.
My original post was primarily about people mixing RedBull with alcohol – a bad combination no matter how you look at it.
Hiram
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[...] The Dangers of Red Bull “Red Bull gives you wings” say the commercials. But it turns out that misusing energy drinks, including the industry leader Red Bull, can give you… [...]
I drink Red Bull 4 times a week or so, not for energy, I just enjoy it! Is that dangerous??
Thank you
Mustapha,
No, drinking Red Bull by itself is not dangerous. My article was about the trend for many people to “supercharge” their Red Bull drink with hard liquor. The combination of caffeine and alcohol is what’s dangerous.
Hope that clears things up.
Hiram