Of all the different drinks available in the market today, RedBull is definitely my favorite. I work in night shifts and so it happens sometimes that I am not able to get enough sleep during the day because of some work that needed to be taken care of. I stay awake throughout the day and then have to report at work by evening and then the night becomes a nightmare. Being awake for more than 12 hours, it becomes almost impossible to keep myself from dozing off at work and in a situation like this; RedBull has always come to my aid. One can of RedBull is enough to keep me awake and focused for a good 3 to 4 hours which kind of started to make me wonder that how does RedBull work? What does it do inside the body that keeps me on my toes? I did a little digging into the topic and here is what I found.
RedBull was first launched by a Thai company but not being sold by an Austrian company called “Red Bull GmbH”. In terms of market, it is the highest selling energy drink in the world even though it has been highly criticized in the past to have negative effects on the body. It contains a variety of chemicals of which Taurine and Glucuronolactone have been questioned several times in terms of health issues but after a research, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that the levels of Taurine and Glucuronolactone used in Red Bull are safe. The ingredients of Red Bull (per 250 mL serving) include:
27g Sugar: Now we all know that sugar does help boosting up the energy levels. A can of RedBull contains 27 grams of sugar which I personally feel is not really a big deal. We consume more sugar than that throughout the day anyways. Even a can of coke contains more sugar than that, 39 grams.
80mg Caffeine: Most people believe that this is where the real boost in energy comes from but the fact is that you get more caffeine than this from a 250 ml cup of coffee. Considering the amount of coffee we normally consume in a day, it seems highly unlikely that the boost in energy is because of caffeine only.
1000mg Taurine and 600mg Glucuronolactone: This is what actually makes Rebdull tick. Glucuronolactone is a natural chemical produced in the body as a byproduct of glucose metabolism by the liver. This chemical has been known to boost the “feel good” factor in our bodies. Surprisingly, it was also used by the US government during Vietnam to improve soldiers’ sense of well-being and to stave off depression. Taurine is a similar chemical that has in the past been used to treat hypertension. A study indicated that a dose of Taurine as little as 6g/day for as little as 7 days resulted in a significant decrease in the blood pressure of these patients.
B-complex Vitamins: What is the functionality of B-Complex vitamins IN RedBull? Well, it is to boost the effect of both Taurine and Glucuronolactone and make them work better.
So what actually makes RedBull work are primarily the effects of two chemicals mentioned above boosted by the presence of B-Complex vitamins mixed with Sugar and Caffeine. Does it have any side effects? As I mentioned above, the amount of these chemicals used in RedBull has been declared safe. Some people complain of “addiction” problems with RedBull but I have been using this drink for years now and never really felt addicted. I only drink it when I really it because of its high price in India. It is however safe to assume that drinking too much RedBull, in a way consuming too much of these chemicals, is harmful to the body but then think about it, too much of anything is bad. You start overdosing yourself with something as simple as sugar and even that will eventually kill you, isn’t it?
