Is Red Bull Good For You?

There is an energy crisis in America. Millions of people every day are rolling out of bed in a groggy stupor. Their outward expression is dull and sunken, lacking that zest for living as it once had, as if a Dementor from the world of Harry Potter had sucked the vim and vigor out of people, leaving only a residue of lethargic wasting and an irritable disposition.

What’s happened to us?

Simple. We don’t make sleep a priority. We’re so anxious about having enough time in our day that sleep becomes an obstacle to getting things done. And so, we ignore our bodies natural cravings for rest relaxation, and instead we stay up late, working, planning, worrying, and playing.

But instead of being the responsible adult and practicing good sleep habits, we use caffeinated beverages to force our selves into the world.

I didn’t sleep well last night so I made coffee in the morning with Red Bull instead of water. I got halfway to work before I realized I forgot my car.
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What is Red Bull?

Red Bull is a brand of energy drink made by the Austrian company, Red Bull GmbH. It’s sold in small and large aluminum cans of 7 to 25 ounces. With a market share of 38%, Red Bull is the most popular energy drink in the world.

The drink was originally developed in the 1980s and was a direct derivative of Krating Daeng, an energy drink sold in Thailand. Entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz partnered with the makers of Krating Daeng to bring the product to European markets.

In the late 90s, Red Bull entered the UK and American markets with a heavy television ad campaign. Remember those simple, animated cartoon commericials telling viewers the drink “revitalizes the body and mind” and “Red Bull gives you wings”? Simple but effective.

Over the years, the company focused on selling not a caffeinated beverage but a way of life. This brand identity led to sponsorships in Nascar, Formula One, and other extreme sports like the SoapBox Race, Ice Cross Championship, and the Air Race.

Red Bull sponsors high adrenaline events to build its brand identity

The drink itself isn’t as exotic as the events Red Bull sponsors. It’s basically just sugar water (soda), B-vitamins, and the caffeine level of coffee. But drinking it makes us feel better, like the brain fog that wraps our sleep-deprived body is finally dissolving. The taste isn’t bad either.

What does Red Bull taste like?

In the 2008 film, Role Models, Paul Rudd’s character describes the energy drink they’re selling to high school kids for $6 a can as “nuclear horse piss”. This is how most energy drinks taste like; a sharp, chemical-like flavor that’s caused by all the artificial flavors and artificial sweeteners.

Red Bull is a little different. It’s made with real sugar, which results in a thicker sweetness. The added flavors give it more of an apple or licorice-like, tartness with a ton of sweetness. One sip and you immediately think, “This stuff is liquid candy!”

If you liquefied Lemonheads, added carbonated water, a bunch of caffeine and B-vitamins, you would have the same taste as Red Bull but in lemon instead of apple.

Since its introduction, Red Bull has added more flavors to its product line to keep up with the competition. These artificial flavors include watermelon, tropical fruits, blueberry, strawberry apricot, and several others. You can find all these flavors in your local supermarket, convenience store, or Amazon.

The most delicious flavor of Red Bull was Red Bull Cola, and oh boy did it taste good! It came on the market in 2008 and was sold for a few years before being discontinued.

In 2019, Red Bull had introduced a new version as Simply Cola in its Organics line, but as of 2023, the product no longer seems to be sold in the U.S.

The taste and flavor of energy drinks varies from nuclear horse piss to sweet nectar

Here’s a fun fact. Authorities in Germany, Hong Kong, and Taiwan had detected 0.13 μg of cocaine per can in the original Red Bull Cola. Red Bull claimed it was only using coca leaf extract for flavoring.

The trace amounts of cocaine was so small that a person would have to drink thousands of cans of Cola at one time for it to have any effect. Not a big deal.

Red Bull Cola tasted like Coca-Cola made with real sugar but much less syrupy. It had a light and delicate flavor of caramel and kola nut that left you feeling bright and chipper. There was a lip-smacking aftertaste too, presumably from the kola nut and coca leaf extract.

No energy drink flavor has ever come close to what this original Red Bull Cola tasted like, and we have to wonder why companies don’t focus on making better tasting soda and energy drinks.

Is Red Bull good for you?

If the human body can extract nutrients from all the things we choke down our gullet, doesn’t that make them at least a little “healthy”? People seem to think so.

We generally ignore the bad components of a specific food and just focus on the nutrients we want in our diets. And the more desirable the nutrient is, the healthier the food is perceived.

Red Bull contains vitamin B12. The human body needs this for red blood cell formation, nerve function, and the production of DNA. Therefore, Red Bull is good for you.

Eggs contain iron. The body needs iron for hemoglobin production. Boom. Eggs are good for you. Cheetos contain sodium that the body needs to maintain water-mineral balance. Boom. Good for you. Cheese pizza contains calcium. Boom. Good for you. Those week-old, shriveled hot dogs you see turning on roller grills in gas stations contain protein. Boom. Good for you. Magic mushrooms contain vitamin D. Boom. Good for you. And so on. This is how we rationalize our food choices.

Red Bull contains Vitamin B12. Therefore, Red Bull is good for you!

Of course, there are medical studies that show adverse affects of our dietary choices as well.

Beginning in the mid-2010s, studies like “Preexercise energy drink consumption does not improve endurance cycling performance…” publishedin the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, were finding no correlation in athletic performance or ergogenic potential and energy drink consumption.

The only thing Red Bull does is raise your resting blood pressure. But it’s like, so what? It has caffeine. It makes us feel better. And we’re going to drink it anyway.

Everything in moderation

The human body is perfectly capable of ridding itself of toxins. “Everything in moderation” is the key to healthy living. You could smoke a cigarette, eat a Twinkie, or take amphetamine and still be living healthy. The problem happens when we do these things so frequently that the body is unable to keep up and repair itself.

Certain foods may contain nutrients the body needs to function but they may also contain things that cause damage when consumed too often. The detrimental effects accumulate in the same way smoking cigarettes do.

This is why in 2015 the World Health Organization labeled processed meat as carcinogenic because it increases the risk of colorectal cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and many other chronic illnesses when they, like cigarettes, are consumed too frequently.

The long term effects of drinking Red Bull will be similar to that of soda. Blatantly put, it’s still sugar water and will still lead to obesity, tooth decay, kidney problems, high blood pressure, and so on when consumed in excess. So, drink responsibly.

Red Bull

A crisp energy drink with a nice dose of caffeine and B-vitamins. Drink in moderation.

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People give too much attention to individual nutrients and less to the greater whole. Anyone who wishes to live longer, healthier lives should be more interested in the long term effects that food choices have on their bodies.

Summary

Is Red Bull good for you? Oh, absolutely! Using the same mental gymnastics that lead us to believe that meat, dairy, and eggs are good for you, so too is Red Bull. Have a glass of it with every meal.

But if we’re being serious, though, that’s not a very good question to begin with. A better way to understand food, or supplements, or drugs would be to ask how frequently can we enjoy these things before they begin to have a negative impact on the body.

As much as we’d like to feel that dopamine rush in the brain all the time, Red Bull isn’t something we should only drink all that often. Treat the drink the same as you would Candy Corn, Skittles, or Twinkies. Consume sparingly.