Why is Red Bull outlawed in some countries???

Question

I drink it all the time.Probably ten to twelve cans a day.I am shaking as I type this question........It's way addictive............I can't stop..........Maybe that is why................Tom Science

Answer 1

holy dooley 10 - 12 cans - you freak your gonna die!!! kidney failure, heart attack etc

i used to drink 2 a day and i was buzzing all day long from that and i thort that was bad!

hey why dont u just stir in some instant coffee with it

Answer 2

Good grief, why would you drink that many Red Bulls? Have you ever read the warning labels on the cans? I know that the warning are for children and pregnant women. But, be sensible and know that most energy have about 75 mg of caffeine (most sodas have about 40 mg) and that you are putting your health at risk (heart attack!).

Answer 3

Really, I drank one and I never felt a thing. I said I would never buy it again because it is all hipe. I felt like taking a nap and I did.

Answer 4

i know some drinks are outlawed because of the high caffeine content.

Answer 5

cause Red Bull is bad for you and its commercials are sooo stupid

Answer 6

No, it is just a high dose of mild stimulants

Answer 7

because it gives you wings.

Answer 8

by Jaclyn Roco
LV Life Editor
Loaded with sugar, these drinks are guaranteed to keep you up and hopping for a few extra hours or so.
In college circles, the extra pep or boost that today's trendiest energy drinks give is often appreciated, especially during exam time when tensions run high, and energy levels zone to neutral. Athletes also reach for these energy drinks to gain a burst for improved performance.
The most popular energy drink today is Red Bull, which sold approximately a billion cans across 50 countries last year, according to a 2001 BBC News report. Needless to say, Red Bull's Austrian creator, Dieterich Mateschitz, made millions of dollars for being able to give the human body some wings.
But defying the natural body clock has a downside.
In fact, there have been numerous concerns with the high level of sugar and other stimulants in energy drinks like Red Bull and its competitors, which include 180, Whoopass, Adrenaline Rush and Rock Star.
Red Bull is a prime example of an explosion of "boost" in a relatively small serving size of eight ounces. Inside the shiny, blue and white can is a potent mixture of caffeine, vitamins, carbohydrates and taurine, an amino acid that affects the body's metabolism.
In France, Norway, and until recently, Japan, Red Bull has been classified as a medicine, and has in some cases been outlawed. In Sweden, three people were reported to have died after drinking Red Bull.
Nutrition Australia posted a "FAQ on Caffeine and Energy Drinks" article online to address new and increasing concerns about energy drinks' success. According to its Web site, www.nutrionaustralia.org, a typical energy drink contains about 80 milligrams of caffeine per can, which is about the same as a cup of coffee, or two cans of cola.
Experts agree that the amount of caffeine - about three to four cans a day - usually consumed by some students, especially those ages 17 and over, is not necessarily dangerous. However, the caffeine, in combination with other stimulants like taurine, ginseng, guarana and ephedrine, often found in energy drinks, can prove unhealthy.
If consumed in relatively large amounts - five cans - side effects may include elevated blood pressure, anxiety, shaking, elevated heart rate and increased urine production, the report found.
The biggest risk involves combining energy drinks with alcohol, a practice common among college students.
Dr. Lewis Dr. Pincus, a CBS medical expert, said that although energy drinks were no more energizing than a cup of coffee, mixing them with alcohol would cause symptoms like " a racing heart beat, elevation of blood pressure and maybe even a heart attack."
Dr. Pincus advised consumers to beware of faulty or misleading advertisements. Red Bull, for example, claimed in its Web site that its product is "an ideal energy drink prior to demanding activities, or in a performance drop during a game" and the "Institute for Legal Medicine of the University of Munich confirms that Red Bull has no effect on the alcohol metabolism," he said.
"An additional worry is that people who ingest a lot of caffeine, a stimulant, along with alcohol, which has a tranquilizing effect, won't realize how intoxicated they really are," Dr. Pincus said. "They may drink more than they would have without the caffeine, and then drive or engage in other activities they can't handle because they are experiencing a false feeling of alertness.
"Athletes, who may be particularly drawn to the advertising claims, and people who mix these drinks with alcohol beverages, should be especially mindful of misleading claims and health risks," Dr. Pincus continued.
Robert Murray, Ph.D. and FACSM director for Gatorade Sports Science Institute, said in his article, Energy Drinks: Risks versus Benefits found at www.sportfuel.com, the real energy of use to athletes come from carbohydrates which can "increase muscle glycogen stores, bolster performance and speed recoverysound nutrition and hydration programs have a much lower risk to benefit ratio and are a safer and more effective way for athletes to achieve a competitive edge."
A beneficial energy drink should contain vitamins common to carbohydrate-rich foods, instead of stimulants that "pose an unacceptable risk to benefit ratio," Murray said. Most of the ingredients listed on energy drinks' labels are unproven, and may endanger health, he said.
The ingredients listed as most dangerous are the stimulants that include caffeine, guarana, ephedrine, ginseng, gingko biloba and yohimbine or smilax (yohimbe bark).
Murray's study indicated that different energy drinks vary in levels of caffeine and other stimulants. An average dose of 50 grams would be comparable to drinking a serving of regular cola, but a large dose of over 150 grams, which would be compared to a strong cup of coffee, could lead to the "greater risk of diluresis, nervousness and insomnia."
"There is good scientific evidence that caffeine improves endurance - but not high-intensity - exercise performance when ingested in doses equivalent to three cups of coffee or five-to six cans of cola," Murray reported.
Faisal Javad, a junior at the University of La Verne, said he used to drink different brands of energy drinks to gain a boost when taking long drives and attending track meets for ULV.
"I would drink (energy drinks) to stay awake for long drives home to San Francisco and used them during track meets," Javad said. "I took them to run fast. They did work and gave me a quick burst of energy, but all of a sudden you're struggling."
Although Javad said he no longer drinks Red Bull or other brands of energy drinks, he admitted he joined the trend of drinking them when they first became popular three years ago.
"I don't drink them right now because I don't need them," Javad said. "They all taste like crap and are way over-priced. You're really taking a bunch of caffeine pills. They're bad for you because they bring you up really quick, and then they wear off, and you crash. It's like 200 percent caffeine."
To compensate for the bad taste, Javad said he experimented with mixing Red Bull with vodka.
Although the taste was no longer unsavory, Javad said the effects left him feeling jittery afterward. As an athlete, Javad said he does not recommend energy drinks to others in need of extra endurance during sporting events.
"It's better to drink lots of (coffee) than crash (with energy drinks)," he said. "It doesn't work. You get a quick burst, then it wears off."
Murray recommends athletes instead to drink those energy drinks containing carbohydrates in the form of high-fructose corn syrup, sucrose and maltodextrin.
Gatorade, for example, is listed as an energy drink with 78 grams of carbohydrate, three antioxidants, five B-complex vitamins, no caffeine and no untested ingredients. Red Bull, on the other hand, has only 28 grams of carbohydrate, high levels of caffeine, taurine, glucoronolactone, a detoxifier and one B-complex vitamin.
"Because of their high carbohydrate content, energy drinks should not be ingested immediately before or during exercise because gastric emptying and intestinal fluid absorption will be delayed," Murray said.
"Some energy drinks with high carbohydrate content (50 grams per serving) are suitable for providing carbohydrate after training and competition to quickly replenish muscle glycogen stores," he said.
Energy drinks "should not be consumed during exercise because the caffeine and high sugar concentration slows the body's ability to absorb water," said University of California sports nutritionist Liz Applegate to Dr. Pincus on a 2001 CBS report.
Alex Lopez, a physical trainer for 24 Hour Fitness USA in Los Angeles, said he recommends those in training to drink lots of water and some forms of sugar laden drinks or products to help keep energy levels up.
Gatorade is a good form of sugar because it has water and no caffeine, he said.
Some athletes have even opted to suck on lollipops while pumping iron. Although lollipops are odd to be seen while working out, Lopez said they are still preferred to energy drinks.
The International Olympic Committee banned certain levels of caffeine, as detected in an athlete's urine, because of proof regarding the energy drinks' ability to act as a physical and cognitive performance aid while it stimulates cardiac output and the central nervous system, reported Nutrition Australia.
"The IOC considers caffeine a controlled substance, meaning that athletes found with higher-than allowable levels in their urine are disqualified," Murray said.
Disqualification from a sporting event, heart attack risks and a false sense of alertness should cause people to think twice before drinking energy drinks. The price to pay for one's health is much more than the amount of money invested in buying just one can.