There are numerous benefits to including caffine in your daily intake. It has beneficial effects for both the mind and the body and can improve mental alertness, reduce headaches and even treat some serious health conditions, such as diabetes and asthma. Science has repeatedly shown that some caffeine is good but when it is included as part of a cocktail of other chemicals, it can be a toxic nightmare. That is especially true of sweeteners, artificial stimulants and the other additives that are typically part of energy drinks.
Unfortunately, that news didn’t reach a man by the name of Corey Terry soon enough. He was a father who lived in Brooklyn and although he was only 33 years old, he died of a heart attack after drinking a Red Bull. As you likely know, Red Bull is one of the more popular of the energy drinks and they go out of their way to advertise just how beneficial those drinks are. According to Terry’s mother, he was a non-smoker and active but he drank red bull regularly. In fact, she said that he drank it all the time because it “perked him up.”
Does Red Bull Lead to Heart Attacks?
The Mayo Clinic published a study that showed that energy drinks, including Red Bull, may have harmful effects to individuals who suffer from cardiovascular problems. In addition, it stated that healthy people who drank red bull were likely to experience symptoms that were similar.
15 healthy participants took part in one trial in which they drank two cans of an energy drink that was similar to Red Bull in its ingredients. They drank those two cans every day for a week.
According to the research, the blood pressure of those participants increased by 8% just a few hours after consumption and by the end of the week, it had gone up a total of 10%. In addition, the heart rate increased in a similar way, 8% the first day and then at the end of the week, 11%.
Those factors are associated with an increased risk of heart attack. When you have high blood pressure, it causes damage to the arteries and could lead to blood clots, increasing both heart attack and stroke risk.
The Ingredients of Red Bull
Most people already realize that Red Bull has a lot of sugar but the main ingredients include numerous stimulants. Caffeine and taurine are the two main stimulants, but there are also several B vitamins as well.
Those ingredients have been clinically proven to produce numerous side effects in most people.
Red Bull Side Effects
The same journal also published another study that showed how Red Bull could affect an individual after they exercised. 13 participants took part in the study and they were already involved in endurance training. Three times per day, they performed strenuous exercise and they would drink either a Red Bull, similar drink without taurine or a placebo prior to exercise.
The Red Bull, which contained both caffeine and taurine, was the only drink that raised the stroke volume, which is how much blood is pumped through the heart. According to the study, the stimulants in Red Bull may not cause the effects when consumed separately but when they are consumed together, they could seriously tax the cardiovascular system.
All in all, the studies show something rather shocking but it is also something that many of us already realized: red bull and other energy drinks are bad for your heart.
If you’re looking for a quick way to wake up or gain some mental clarity, try coffee or another beverage that contains only one stimulant.
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