Red Bull may claim to “give you wings” flower folk but drinking too much of the popular energy drink may also lead to heart damage, a study suggests that us flowers have read up on recently.
The study invovled 30 university students aged between 20 and 24 years old and found that drinking just one 250ml sugar-free can of the caffeinated energy drink increased the “stickiness” of the blood and raised the risk of blood clots forming.
Using tests to measure blood pressure and the state of blood vessels around the body, the Australian researchers said that after drinking one can participants had shown a cardiovascular profile similar to that of someone with heart disease. Ouch!
Red Bull emphatically denied that the drink, which is distributed to 143 countries worldwide, was dangerous. In a statement, it said that Red Bull had been proved safe by “numerous scientific studies”, and that it had never been banned from anywhere it had been introduced.
Scott Willoughby, of the Cardiovascular Research Centre at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Adelaide University, said that he was alarmed at the results, and suggested that older adults who already have symptoms of heart disease should refrain from drinking too much of the energy drink.
“After one can it seemed to turn the young individual into one with more of the type of profile you would expect to see with someone with cardiovascular disease,” he said. “People who already have existing cardiovascular disease may want to talk to their physician before they drink Red Bull in future.”
Can the effects of Red Bull be any worse that a cup of coffee or two? Anyone else reach for energy drink to put that spring in your stride? Do tell and give this post some wings.
hmmmmm I’m not sold on this study
when they say the cardio profile was like someone with disease after one can I take it that they mean temporarily? Its not permanent. By the same token you could look at the temporary damage to blood pressure after a night on the ale and say that the rise in terms of percentage would be stroke central
red bull is no more harmful than coffee. and its harm as it were is temporary. in the same way that it doesn’t give you a permanent energy rise.
I remember years and years ago an ‘underground’ energy drink popular in gyms- ultimate orange. people were powering through workouts and dropping bodyfat just through this. when it was banned the secret got out. it contained 25mg of ephedrine a serving.
I have some of the same questions regarding Red Bull.
ClinicallyCluelesss last blog post..PAST JOURNAL ENTRY: August 25, 2005 ~ Teasing
Oops!!
However, I do know that some nutritionists are now saying that diet sodas metabolize differently, so they are actually worse than regular sodas. I don’t have any details because I didn’t have time to listen to this conversation. But, does anyone else know about this?
ClinicallyCluelesss last blog post..PAST JOURNAL ENTRY: August 25, 2005 ~ Teasing
A few years ago I did a 24 hour sponsored ironing marathon to raise money for our village playgroup of which i was chairman.
I thought the novelty factor of a bloke doing ironing ( i was a househusband at the time also with two little children) would get some press coverage which it did - local radio and TV interviews as well as loads of ironing from villages. I didn’t run out!
Anyway i completed the 24 hrs thanks to a few cans of Red Bull to keep me going as I only had 3 10 min stops the whole 24hrs.
I did feel a bit ‘zingy’ after the third can which i put down to tiredness rather than the drink.
Knowing this - i’d have thought twice about the third can!
Purple13s last blog post..Garden visit on rare day out
Erm, I think its the same with anything that’s bad for you if not taken in moderation.
It does make me laugh when you see the so called ‘I weigh 30 stone, help!’ shows when they consume about 10 a day and wonder why they feel like death.
Some people really do believe they are healthy drinks because of the ‘energy’ association and quite frankly those people deserve the heart attacks and plus size mail order catalogues.
It really isn’t nice stuff, not to mention expensive and you are better off having a shot of espresso.
Its just a shame that espresso doesn’t go so well with vodka.
I actually posted a red bull post over 12 months ago.. a bit tongue in check but how this stuff is bullocks…
it is bad for your health.. so many preservatives, sugars and artifical everything not to mention the chemicals it cant be good… throw thw caffine content into the mix and its a recipe for disaster…
Oh no, I love Red Bull..I guess I will have to cut down on the intake..
I used to drink these like they were going out of style…four to five per day…they gave me the extra kick I thought I needed. But when I stopped drinking them for some time and then drank one I was shocked to see how drastically they did effect me…energy, mood, scattered mind. For the most part I try not to drink them at all any more….I am super hyper to begin with and these plain old push me over the edge into frantically scattered.
Mighty Morgans last blog post..Kicking the habit
30 students in that limited age range does not make for a good study. Hence, I question the implications of the results.
ClinicallyCluelesss last blog post..PAST JOURNAL ENTRY: August 25, 2005 ~ Teasing
agreed CC
No health concerns arrise when considering the list of ingredients on a red bull can. Only the fact that they are mostly synthetically derived may lead to health issues.
Red Bull is probably a better drink for you than coffee, but why not just drink tea. If you really need the energy…..well, just suck it up and be a man.
Simple Zacks last blog post..Simple Thoreau
You cannot take my coffee away from me. Yes, I know I am addicted. I’ve been drinking it for 27 years…I started as an infant. LOL!!! Both physically and psychologically. It actually calms me down and is comforting. So, you can’t take it away…no, no, no!!! Hey, I’m not a man and do not have to suck it up!!! By the way, I really don’t like the taste of tea…sorry. I know, you Americans!!!
I challenge you CC, to stand up for your health and be a woman, kick that habit of coffee. I dare you……
Also, I am American, not proud of it, but I am.
Simple Zacks last blog post..Simple Thoreau
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!
ClinicallyCluelesss last blog post..PAST JOURNAL ENTRY: August 25, 2005 ~ Teasing
No pressure
Thank you…I just maybe a little addicted.
ClinicallyCluelesss last blog post.."Furry Happy Monsters" ~ REM & Muppets
Everybody knows that you level out the effects of Red Bull by mixing it with Vodka.
The vodka makes you pass out if you drink enough of these.
The only problem is if you wake up at 2 am. and have to pee it all out. You’re pretty much up for the day at that point.
moooooog35s last blog post..Sesame Street - Unrated Version
GO! try absinthe* with Red Bull - rocket fuel we hear
*Drink responsibly
great post.
I once drank 8 - 10 of them during an all night party (together with lots of Vodka and beer) and didn’t sleep for over 24 hrs. Throughout I felt very edgy and paranoid, and my heartbeat had accelerated tremendously. I was dying to sleep and at the same time my mind and heart were racing at a zillion miles an hour. I finally called my doc, who told me that RB is known to cause problems and he recommended I take a kind of Calmpose (Diazepam, if I remember right) tablet to calm down and get sleep. I took the tablet and in about 30 minutes felt normal and finally went to sleep for 14 hours!
I stay clear of all these so called “energy” drinks and bars. They are nothing but strong stimulants that probably get the organs to pump out juices, which they are not meant to.
8-10 and you lived?
No wonder you can deliver flowers anywhere in the world