The carbonated beverage is marketed to boost energy levels as well as improve mental and physical performance. Twenty-nine grams of an 8.4 ounces or 260 ml serving of Red Bull accounts to its sugar content and 75 mg of caffeine.
Red Bull also contains vitamin B complex. However, research proposes that the energy drink may potentially harm your health. Know more about these harmful effects of the drink on your health below.
An Increased Blood Pressure
A number of studies in healthy adults found that drinking a 12-ounce (355-ml) of the beverage caused a significant rise in the blood pressure and heart rate levels of the subjects within 90 minutes following consumption and prolonged up to 24 hours. This might be due to the drink’s caffeine content.
Even with the increased levels of blood pressure and heart rate, drinking Red Bull occasionally or in moderation would not cause serious heart disease in the healthy adults. However, everything taken excessively especially in younger people has been associated to abnormal heart rate, heart attack and death.
Moreover, drinking Red Bull could potentially exacerbate an individual’s pre-existing heart conditions like high-blood pressure, though further research is still needed in this area.
A Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
A review in more than 300,000 adults showed that daily consumption of one to two portions of sugar-filled drinks posed them at risk of type 2 diabetes at 26 percent.
Red Bull is known to contain 29 grams of sugar in one 260-ml serving and so drinking the beverage in one or more cans each day widens your chance of developing type 2 diabetes.
Damage to the Oral Cavity
Red Bull is a carbonated, acidic drink. As research pointed out, acidic beverages destroy the enamel, the tooth’s hard protective coating.
According to one study, exposing the enamel for 15 minutes four times daily to energy drinks resulted to irreversible tooth enamel damage. Additionally, the study also found that energy boosting beverages were twice as harmful to the enamel compared to sodas.
Damage to the Kidneys
Too much of something is truly bad enough since research showed that drinking Red Bull in excessive amounts could lead to kidney damage.
In a study involving rats, it was found that drinking Red Bull over time caused kidney function decline, though the results have not been performed in humans yet. Furthermore, the analysis also showed a link between increased sugar intake and developing chronic kidney disease.
Since Red Bull contains high sugar levels, overindulgence might pose you at greater risk.
Caffeine Overdose and Toxicity
Research said to keep caffeine in safe levels by limiting intake to 400 mg daily or less. Since Red Bull contains 75 mg of caffeine, drinking five cans per day increases your risk of the substance overdose.
Nausea, vomiting, rapid heart rate, dizziness, anxiety, trouble in sleeping, hallucinations and seizures are the signs and symptoms of caffeine overdose.
Adolescents aged 12 to 19 are recommended to consume only 100 mg or less of caffeine per day to maintain nontoxic levels. Therefore, drinking more than 260 ml of Red Bull daily could cause caffeine overdose and toxicity in this age group.