Red Bull Gives You Wings ... and Heart Problems?
I have an addiction.
Well, some might say I do. But like many of those who do have an addiction, I say I can stop at any time. I just choose not to.
See the item to the left. Yep. The drink that "gives you wings."
For years I hated those commercials with a passion. Then I drank one. Then I kept buying them.
Not cheap but still less than a specialty coffee. Kinda tastes like carbonated fruit punch.
With my line of work, I've found it's almost necessary to get that adrenaline rush to help deal with the stresses of the day.
But over the past week I've been concerned with the health risk of drinking a Red Bull a day (I try to keep it limited to one a day and only on days I'm working ... and only the sugar-free version).
I think that concern was fueled by Star editor Jon Jimison walking over to my desk one day, picking up the empty can, and joking, "You know these things will kill you?"
So I got to thinking. Is it deadly like the ephedra that used to be in other diet / energy products? Am I at risk of a heart attack? Will I randomly explode if I keep drinking them?
Then paranoia set in.
I did a little online research and here's what I found:
Red Bull in Suspected Link to Deaths (BBC News, July 12, 2001)
It's Not the Thirsty, But Energy Fiends Who Imbibe Red Bull
The feed zone - Nutrition Q&A with Monique Ryan - Taking the Bull by the horns (Dec. 10, 2003)
Wikipedia entry
Basically the jist is ... there's no ephedra in the drink, there are numerous unproven links to adverse health effects, but it seems the biggest health concerns surround the amount of sugar in the drink.
And I drink sugar-free.
Guess I'm okay...for now.
Well, some might say I do. But like many of those who do have an addiction, I say I can stop at any time. I just choose not to.
See the item to the left. Yep. The drink that "gives you wings."For years I hated those commercials with a passion. Then I drank one. Then I kept buying them.
Not cheap but still less than a specialty coffee. Kinda tastes like carbonated fruit punch.
With my line of work, I've found it's almost necessary to get that adrenaline rush to help deal with the stresses of the day.
But over the past week I've been concerned with the health risk of drinking a Red Bull a day (I try to keep it limited to one a day and only on days I'm working ... and only the sugar-free version).
I think that concern was fueled by Star editor Jon Jimison walking over to my desk one day, picking up the empty can, and joking, "You know these things will kill you?"
So I got to thinking. Is it deadly like the ephedra that used to be in other diet / energy products? Am I at risk of a heart attack? Will I randomly explode if I keep drinking them?
Then paranoia set in.
I did a little online research and here's what I found:
Red Bull in Suspected Link to Deaths (BBC News, July 12, 2001)
It's Not the Thirsty, But Energy Fiends Who Imbibe Red Bull
The feed zone - Nutrition Q&A with Monique Ryan - Taking the Bull by the horns (Dec. 10, 2003)
Wikipedia entry
Basically the jist is ... there's no ephedra in the drink, there are numerous unproven links to adverse health effects, but it seems the biggest health concerns surround the amount of sugar in the drink.
And I drink sugar-free.
Guess I'm okay...for now.
posted by Graham at
5:07 PM
2 Comments:
My son has been hooked on Red Bull for several years and switched to the sugar free type just last year. I am sure if you search the web, you're bound to find some adverse info about the sugar free kind. Lol...it seems there's not much out there that's actually good, for GOOD. Sooner or later, someone finds something bad about what's supposed to be good. Also, both the regular and the sugar-free brand contain aspartame, which has been controversial for years.
Tastes like cough syrup!
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