2008 Woodie Awards
Column: Effect of Red Bull is bull
Samara Alpern
Issue date: 10/18/05 Section: Opinion
- < prev Page 2 of 2
Red Bull also contains some B vitamins - niacin, B6, B12 and pantothenic acid - which are essential to the body for retrieving energy. Jim Swan, professor of anatomy and physiology at UNM, said, "Most people with an ordinary diet get what they need." The only situation where consuming B vitamins improves energy is when a person suffers a B vitamin deficiency. As with taurine, taking extra B vitamins will not increase energy metabolism in healthy people.
That leaves boring old sugar and caffeine to explain how Red Bull gives you wings.
The drink contains both sucrose - table sugar - and glucose. Glucose is the sugar most quickly absorbed by the body, so Swan hypothesizes that you may feel the energy from those 5.25 grams of glucose 30 minutes before you feel the energy from the sucrose. Each Red Bull contains about as much total sugar as a candy bar.
Caffeine has effects with which most of us are familiar. But did you know that extensive scientific research has proven caffeine does in fact increase metabolism, improve physical performance, sharpen concentration and lift emotional status? Coincidentally, these are all claims made for Red Bull. These benefits come with modest caffeine consumption, usually a cup of coffee's worth or less. Consumed at higher levels, caffeine can instead cause anxiety, headaches and degraded concentration, among other effects. Each serving of Red Bull has the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee, and can be assumed to have similar effects.
The Red Bull company maintains that it is not the effect of each individual ingredient, but the synergistic effect of all the ingredients together. This theory sounds good, but there is no quality scientific data to support it.
Since the basic formula for Red Bull was developed in Thailand, it's possible that taurine, glucuronolactone and B vitamins are valued for different medicinal properties than they are in the United States, but according to Western science, these ingredients have questionable physiological value at best.
A cup of sweetened coffee or a Coke or two will do basically the same for you as a Red Bull - at about a quarter of the price.
Samara Alpern is a nutrition major at UNM. You can send your health and nutrition questions to opinion@unm.edu or lobonews@unm.edu.
That leaves boring old sugar and caffeine to explain how Red Bull gives you wings.
The drink contains both sucrose - table sugar - and glucose. Glucose is the sugar most quickly absorbed by the body, so Swan hypothesizes that you may feel the energy from those 5.25 grams of glucose 30 minutes before you feel the energy from the sucrose. Each Red Bull contains about as much total sugar as a candy bar.
Caffeine has effects with which most of us are familiar. But did you know that extensive scientific research has proven caffeine does in fact increase metabolism, improve physical performance, sharpen concentration and lift emotional status? Coincidentally, these are all claims made for Red Bull. These benefits come with modest caffeine consumption, usually a cup of coffee's worth or less. Consumed at higher levels, caffeine can instead cause anxiety, headaches and degraded concentration, among other effects. Each serving of Red Bull has the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee, and can be assumed to have similar effects.
The Red Bull company maintains that it is not the effect of each individual ingredient, but the synergistic effect of all the ingredients together. This theory sounds good, but there is no quality scientific data to support it.
Since the basic formula for Red Bull was developed in Thailand, it's possible that taurine, glucuronolactone and B vitamins are valued for different medicinal properties than they are in the United States, but according to Western science, these ingredients have questionable physiological value at best.
A cup of sweetened coffee or a Coke or two will do basically the same for you as a Red Bull - at about a quarter of the price.
Samara Alpern is a nutrition major at UNM. You can send your health and nutrition questions to opinion@unm.edu or lobonews@unm.edu.
Anonymous posts are no longer allowed. They will not show up.
You must be logged in to post!