Red Bull

Part of Red Bull's success in the US has been due to some slick marketing tactics to generate interest in the drink.

1. Red Bull GmbH has kept quiet about the origins of both the name of the drink and what taurine is exactly (although recently they have put up a vague "rumors" page on their website). Rumors spread which led customers, bartenders, journalists, etc. to believe Red Bull was made from bull semen extract and would give a drinker the strength, speed, endurance (and sexual prowess?) of a bull.

2. Red Bull GmbH has made no attempt to prevent consumers from using it more and more frequently as a mixer with other alcoholic beverages. When asked whether they were concerned about being known as a common aid to alcohol consumption, a spokesperson replied with something to the effect of "I don't think Minute Maid tries to prevent anyone from drinking screwdrivers, why should we be any different?" Of course, you don't see 3' inflatable cans of minute maid suspended over every chic bar you walk into these days.

3. You can read on every can of Red Bull the phrase "Red Bull stimulates your body and mind." With little elaboration, Red Bull is said to*:

• increase physical endurance
• improve reaction speed and concentration
• increase mental alertness (stay awake)
• improve overall feeling of well being
• stimulate metabolism and increases stamina
• help to eliminate waste substances from the body

Once someone saw these claims on the side of a can it would be easy to see how he/she would see this as the perfect party drink. And the most likely place to find Red Bull is in your local bar--a perfect place to spread information and gossip.

*List taken from http://www.redbull.com

Redbull is a very popular though much maligned soft drink that contains Taurine and glucuronolactone *see below*, b-complex vitamins, caffeine and sugars.

Taurine is an amino acid found naturally in mother's milk. Studies have shown that Taurine plays a significant role in brain and retinal development.and is found in meat and fish. There are very few studies of taurine supplementation in healthy subjects. Some companies claim taurine to enhance the effects of caffeine, but there has not been any studies performed so far that can confirm this statement. Glucuronolactone is a compound that is formed in the liver when glucose is metabolized. It's supposed to stimulate the basal metabolic rate, but there's no scientific] evidence to support this. I've seen repeated rumors to the effect that Redbull has been banned in this country or that country, dont believe it, again this is a SOFT DRINK, the only relevant ingredient that might be controlled in any country is the caffeine.

Nutrition Facts and Ingredients of Red Bull along with each ingredient's usefulness.

Nutrition Facts
Total Fat : 0g (woo hoo)
Sodium : 200 mg/8% Daily Allowance | Sodium helps regulate blood pressure
Total Carbohydrates : 28g | Provide stamina, endurance and power.
Sugars : 27g | Provide energy, duh
Protein : Less than 1g | Builds body tissue
Niacin : 100% | Inhibits bad cholesterol BP while helping good cholesterol BP.
Vitamin B6 : 250%
-Needed by over 100 enzymes involved in protein metabolism.
-Essential for red blood cell metabolism.
-Nervous and Immune Systems need B6 for proper function.
-Helps convert tryptophan (an amino acid) to niacin (a vitamin)
-Helps make hemoglobin
Vitamin B12 : 80% | Helps Maintain healthy nerve and red blood cells.
Pantothenic Acid
-Regulates Adrenal activity.
-Regulates Antibody production.
-Regulates protein and fat growth and metabolism.
Red Bull has more of this than three baked potatos

Ingredients
Carbonated Water (natch)
Sucrose (provides carbohydrate energy)
Glucose (provides carbohydrate energy)
Sodium Citrate (Non-hazardous for air, sea and road freight.)
Taurine (Gives you WINGS!)
Caffeine (Again!)

This has been brought to you by the desire for complete justification.

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Sources:
Drkoop.com
Uk Sugar Bureau,
http://www.cc.nih.gov/ccc/supplements/ http://physchem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/SO/sodium_citrate_dihydrate.html

I was turned on to Red Bull while on a summer trip to Greece in 1998 where it's been consumed for awhile by the party people there. When I got home (to Denmark, that is) I was stoked to find out that Red Bull had actually been banned by the gov health control, due to excessive amount of vitamins. How come?! This is just Denmark in a nutshell, being way too protective for the people. Am I really the only one living in a kindergarten?

Well, since the introduction of Red Bull in the US, numerous knockoffs have shown up on the European market (probably on the US markets too) - all packaged in the same 8.3 oz size cans and many with names that try to capitalize on Red Bull's success (Red Ox, Red Devil, etc.). And to be honest, the ripoffs don't taste that bad, and the ingredients list is almost identical to Red Bull's.

However, Red Bull is the only energy drink that has caught on in the European danceclubs. Over here the Red Bull and Vodka mix is the perfect cocktail for a long night of high energy partying! And the fun doesn't stop there! Due to the physiological effects of the ingredients, Red Bull flushes out your system well. Not only do I feel substantially better the day after heavy drinking when I'm drinking Red Bull, but for the hangovers I experience from a night of drinking cheap tequila and beer, Red Bull, from my experience is the best thing to begin your hangover rehabilitation routine.

Cheers from Denmark.

Much has been made of Red Bull's seemingly excessive B6 vitamin count. However, a quick bit of math renders the following results:

The math!

At 250% of your daily B6 intake, Red Bull contains 2.5 mg of B6. The FDA has set the safe intake for B6 at 100mg/day. Studies indicate that damage to nerves in the arms and legs occurs before the 500 mg mark.

So, no reason to panic! You'd have to consume 40 cans of Red Bull a day to meet the FDA upper limit. And if you're doing that, you've got more problems than B6.