Sold by Red Bull, GmbH, Austria, Red Bull is an energy drink made for people who want to overcome physical and mental fatigue. It is an extremely popular energy drink with young people, and it is not uncommon to see people mix it with vodka to make a cocktail. While manufacturers make big claims about its positive effects on your body, there are people who wonder if Red Bull is bad.To answer this question, it is important to know exactly what is included in this energy drink.
Is Red Bull Bad for You?
The simple answer is yes. Red Bull contains excessive amounts of caffeine, which can have negative effects on your nervous system and overall health. It also has added sugar.
Many people drink Red Bull to get caffeine that helps keep them going even when they really need to sleep and eat something. Pushing your body to the limit too often will lead to several complications, and you are more likely to crash later on. Moreover, Red Bull has about 27g of sugar in 250ml serving. The same serving also contains 1000mg of taurine, 80mg of caffeine, and 600mg of glucuronolactone.
Is Red Bull bad for you? Some studies will help you get a clearer answer. Although you can find Red Bull in about 100 countries around the world, Denmark and France have already banned the drink. In 2001, Britain's Committee on Toxicity conducted a research and found that Red Bull is safe, but they also warned pregnant women to avoid it because high caffeine content may increase the risk of a miscarriage.
A study conducted by The French Scientific Committeealso found that Red Bull had excessive caffeine. The report also highlighted other harmful ingredients, such as taurine and glucuronolactone. However, the committee said that it is important to conduct more studies to identify the real dangers of glucuronolactone and taurine.
Effects on Your Body after Drinking Red Bull
Is Red Bull bad for you? You already know the answer, but you may be wondering how it feels to drink it and what effects it produces. Here is more about it.
1. First 10 Minutes
Within the first ten minutes of drinking Red Bull, you start experiencing its effects. The caffeine present in the drink gets absorbed into your bloodstream and you experience an increase in your blood pressure and heart rate. One big problem is that caffeine is highly addictive, which means the more you drink the more you want it. If you continue with the cycle, your blood pressure will stay elevated, which may result in complications associated with kidneys and heart.
2. 15-45 Minutes
While it usually depends on how fast you drink, the levels of caffeine are usually at their peak anywhere between 15 and 45 minutes. This will enhance your concentration and make you feel alert. That is why many people drink Red Bull when they want to drive at night with an increased alertness.
3. 30-50 Minutes
Is Red Bull bad for you? Yes, after about half an hour of drinking Red Bull, your liver will absorb sugar present in the drink. Almost all energy drinks has added sugar to raise your blood glucose levels, which in turn makes you feel more energetic. However, consistent high blood glucose levels will make your pancreas to release insulin in your bloodstream, which increases your risk of developing Type-2 diabetes. This also contributes to fat storage around your waist.
4. 60 Minutes
It usually takes an hour to experience the dreaded 'sugar crash'. This usually happens when the sugar levels in your blood start going down a bit. Around this time, you will also experience the effects of the caffeine dying down a bit. This is when you experience low moods with energy crash. You will notice a constant change in your sugar and energy levels, which is going to affect your exercise, work, etc.
5. 5-6 Hours
The caffeine content may go down to 50% within 5-6 hours of drinking Red Bull – the time is doubled usually for women who are on oral contraception. You may also experience severe mood swings by this time.
6. 12 Hours
There may be no caffeine content left in your bloodstream after 12 hours of drinking an energy drink like Red Bull; however, how long it takes caffeine to go out of your system varies greatly from person to person. With caffeine going out of your system, you will start feeling fatigued once again.
7. Between 12 and 24 Hours
If you are a regular drinker, you are going to experience withdrawal symptoms between 12 and 24 hours of drinking. You will feel tempted to get some caffeine. You will also experience headaches with other issues such as constipation and irritability. Your liver usually takes at least 12 hours to process caffeine from Red Bull, and during this time, it fails to do its primary job, which is to eliminate toxins from your body. This may cause other illnesses.
8. 7-12 Days
Many studies have confirmed that it may take about 7-12 days for your body to become tolerant to your intake of caffeine. You will be craving more of caffeine to save yourself from exhaustion and sleepiness. If you continue to drink more, it will mask your real body's needs for nutrition and rest. Sticking to the same routine for long will result in several health complications.