Did you know that you will increase your risk of contracting a heart attack or stroke by consuming just a can of Red Bull?
This drink makes your blood to be sticky; this leads to increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
It’s interesting to note that this energy drink has been prohibited in Uruguay, Norway and Denmark.
Also France had it banned between 1996 to 2008 and the Ministry of Commerce in Kuwait placed a ban on Red Bull for people under the age of 16 years because of an incident that led to the deaths of two of their squash players aged 16 and 21 years.
Energy drinks are in great demand worldwide with over 3.5 billion cans of Red Bull were sold in 143 countries in 2015.
It is estimated that energy drinks sell faster than bottled water.
Are energy drinks really giving energy?
Energy drinks ingredients comprise of sugar in the form of sucrose, glucuronolactone and glucose. As well as caffeine.
It will therefore you with energy in the short run. That is all it does really, it will give you a quick boost in energy.
If you peruse Red Bull’s website it’s informs us that a can of its energy drink would;
– Improve your performance
– Increase your concentration and reaction speed
– Increase your endurance
– And Increased your rate of metabolism
What Red Bull and indeed all the other energy franks do is to give you instant energy boost, then once the effects is worn off you immediately feel tired and would crave more of the drink.
It therefore keeps you addicted just as if you had drunk a cup of coffee or a can of your favourite soda.
It is interesting that the Austria based manufacturer of Red Bull recommend that only two cans of this drink should be taken daily.
The company also stated that you should measure your consumption to that of your daily coffee intake.
There is just one problem, while coffee has caffeine it doesn’t have all the artificial sweeteners and energy boosting ingredients as a can of Red Bull.
The artificial sweetner – aspartame has been known to cause metabolic, fetal, neurotoxic, carcinogenic and allergenic problems.
Are there any health benefits derived from energy drinks?
Apart from traces of vitamin B and taurine an amino acid, it actually doesn’t offer much in terms of health benefits. Besides the sugar and caffeine tends to rubbish whatever health benefits that it may have.
Caffeine could give you a quick boost in your concentration and reaction speed but it is short lived.
What is worrying though is the fact that these drinks are targeted at the youth and the long term effects on them cannot be overemphasised.
Energy drinks should be avoided completely by…
– Children should stay clear of these drinks.
– Pregnant and lactating women.
– Caffeine sensitive people.
– People with anxiety problems.
– People that suffer from severe stress.
– If you suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome.
– If you have high blood pressure.
– If you are susceptible to cardiovascular disease.
– If you have any blood clotting medical condition.
Mixing energy drinks with alcohol is a very deadly mix.
This is especially important as our youth tend to be reckless when it comes to the drinking of these drinks, drinking can after can without restraint and also adding alcohol to the mix.
Researchers are of the belief that when you consume stimulants like energy drinks and depressants like alcohol, you would put tremendous strain on your heart and this could lead to heart failure.
Countries like Denmark and France prohibited the sale of energy drinks because of reports of deaths resulting from the energy drink and alcohol combo.
There have been cases in various countries such as in Italy where a volleyball player had consumed excessive Red Bull and as a result developed postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) which is linked with a vasovagal reaction.
There is also a link between energy drinks and orthostatic intolerance which is a condition where there is a change in ones supine position (i.e. Laying down) to an upright position as a result of an abnormal increase in the heart rate of the person (by more than 30 heart beats per minute or a heart beat rate of more than 120 beats per minute in 10 minutes of a standing or sitting position).
Increase your energy without taking energy drinks
If you feel tired and lethargic it is usually as a result of any of the following reasons;
– Poor diet.
– Poor food quality.
– A stressful lifestyle.
– Having negative emotions.
– Insomnia.
– Poor exercise culture.
So if you want to boost your energy levels you should do the exact opposite of the stated reasons behind your tiredness.
– Eat a balanced diet.
– Find ways to relieve your stress.
– Be happy and smile as much as possible, stay positive.
– Get at least 8 hours of sleep daily.
– Engage in regular exercise.
Source: www.realfarmacy.com
Reference(Original article):
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/09/06/red-bull-can-give-you-a-stroke.aspx