Saturday Quack - Drinking Red Bull May Carry Risks

Red Bull is a popular soda energy drink . Produced by an Austrian company, more than 3 billion cans were sold in over 130 countries in 2006. It’s caffeine-loaded (80 mg per can, about twice as much as in regular Coca-Cola), and extremely popular with young people. Now a study in Australia suggests that it might possibly be dangerous if drunk by someone under stress or with high blood pressure.

The study tested the cardiovascular system of 30 young adults one hour before and one hour after drinking a 250 ml can of sugar-free Red Bull . Scott Willoughby, of the Cardiovascular Research Centre in Adelaide, said the results were remarkable: 'One hour after they drank Red Bull, (their cardiovascular systems) were no longer normal. They were abnormal like we would expect in a patient with cardiovascular disease .' He indicated that the changes reflected an increase in platelt stickiness and a decreased ability of the blood vessels to stop its stickiness, a risky situation for possible stroke or heart attack.

Red Bull is already banned in countries such as Norway and Denmark; it was banned in France, but re-allowed after the taurine content was changed (not the caffeine).

This report is based on an interview given by Dr Willoughby, and unsupported by facts, as far as I can see. I don’t think we should pay too much attention to it, at present. After all, how many people drink two cups of strong coffee without ill-effects? On the other hand, I advise young women who smoke to pay attention to a better-designed (or better reported) study, that shows a dose-response risk increase for stroke in women who smoke. Writing in the journal Stroke, Maryland researchers show conclusively that 1-10 cigarettes a day in young women double their risk of having a stroke (which is, of course, relatively small). Over 40 cigarettes a day quadruples the risk.