Are energy drinks such as Red Bull addictive and bad for you?

binarysoul

Energy drinks such as Red Bull, Dr. Pepper and etc are becoming common commodities. I'm just wondering if they're addictive and safe. I never drink these, yesterday I had one and it tasted like cough syrup

Anyways, I think one should get their energy via conventional means (fruit, vegetables, meat, etc) and not worry too much about life.

skrpune

Of course they're bad for you! They're loaded with caffeine and sugar and a laundry list of chemicals. I stay away from the stuff and try to not drink much soda in general, but I do partake of coffee and the occasional coke and iced tea.

The best recipe for energy is good sleep and a good diet and exercise. Fairly simple and common sense. My husband is reading a book on "food" (note how it's in quotes) and what has become of the modern person's diet, and it's shocking what we eat. It has a pretty simple directive that says it all and that is hard to argue with: "Eat food. Not so much. Mostly plants." Honestly, it's the best food advice I've ever heard.

/usr

The only "addictive" substance in those drinks is going to be caffeine.

I'd say they're about as safe as any soda or processed food that's on the market today. Are they good for you? No. Are you going to drop dead from drinking too many of them? Doubtfully.

I drink them from time to time, but only in moderation. I stay away from soda and generally try to eat as healthy as I can.

In the end, they're certainly not going to really harm you. You have a better chance of dying on your way to work each day.

/usr

Eating as close to the vine/ground as possible is probably the best piece of advice for those looking to improve their diet and health. That, along with exercise, will do wonders for how well you look and feel.

tiersten

It won't harm you so long as you drink it in moderation. If you're chugging 10L a day then yeah... you may end up with some bizarre issues. If you're drinking a couple cans occasionally then there shouldn't be any problem. The most significant issue would be tooth decay from the sugar.

Eat organic veg so you avoid the pesticides and other crap they spray on it.

binarysoul

I first wanted to make the title a statement than a question: "Energy drinks such as Red Bull are addictive and bad for you". But my point is that sometimes people get the illusion that government approves such drinks otherwise they won't end up on shelves!

It's interesting that at least so far, we all agree that one shouldn't go too far in drinking these and stick to a healty lifestyle, e.g. good diet, exercise and sleep.

Personally, I would drink one can (250ml) every six weeks or so if I need, e.g. when I go a long trip and exhausted).

wd40

I drink power horse sometimes, if I drink more than 2 in a day vitamin B gives me a strange kick.

and it is written on the can that more than 2 daily may be bad for you.

Take a look at this site .. I read some time back that to much can be bad for you.

Energy Drink Reviews

TravR1

I use to be a nutrition minor in school.

Not like you need to study nutrition at all to know this, but.. Stay away from all of that crap. Drink coffee and ice tea instead.

If you drink soda regularly, stop. You'll be amazed how much better you feel. And your pancreas will love you for it.

tiersten

wd40 wrote: »

I read some time back that to much can be bad for you.

Nearly everything is bad for you in excess. Too much water will kill you. Too much of certain vitamins are toxic etc...

veritas_libertas

tiersten wrote: »

Nearly everything is bad for you in excess. Too much water will kill you. Too much of certain vitamins are toxic etc...

Agreed, and I love my coffee! I'm not addicted to it, but it sure helps give me a good kick start in the morning I do stay far away from energy drinks though. I know several people that have literally damaged their hearts by overdoing it with Red-Bull.

dynamik

I go with sugar-free Monster or Red Bull and use an equal amount of Vodka. I'm pretty sure that cancels everything out and isn't unhealthy in the least

veritas_libertas

Hilarious, it seems that the ad system T.E. is using decided that a Lance Armstrong energy drink would suit this thread well

L0gicB0mb508

I used to drink about 5 a day. I was hooked on them. I'm still alive *twitch*.

stupidboy

dynamik wrote: »

I go with sugar-free Monster or Red Bull and use an equal amount of Vodka. I'm pretty sure that cancels everything out and isn't unhealthy in the least

That's a big +1 over here.

Psoasman

I used to drink the energy stuff, but I quit...not fun being up until 4 in the morning.
I mainly drink water and the occasional Dr. Pepper, and green tea. I like raw milk, tastes so much better than the other milk.
I read somewhere that in the category of "spices" and "other ingredients" can encompass around 15,000 chemicals, products, flavors, and probably a bunch of toxic, addicting crap to keep us buying.
If you want a good book to get healthy, try The Maker's Diet by Jordin Rubin. I have been following his advice and have lost A LOT of weight, eating the very things that are supposed to be bad for us - butter, raw milk, meat, lots of healthy fats.

snadam

dynamik wrote: »

I go with sugar-free Monster or Red Bull and use an equal amount of Vodka. I'm pretty sure that cancels everything out and isn't unhealthy in the least

ahh, nothing says ENERGY like a 50/50 Red Bull/Vodka

I used to drink rockstars in the summer, and coffee in the winter. I stopped drinking rockstars because it was giving me jitters. I just stick with coffee now.

As for health, Ill echo what most have said. This kind of stuff is NOT healthy for you, but if you keep things in Moderation (like all things in life), you should be fine.

PS, I wouldn't classify Dr. Pepper as an "energy drink".

tiersten

Psoasman wrote: »

I have been following his advice and have lost A LOT of weight, eating the very things that are supposed to be bad for us - butter, raw milk, meat, lots of healthy fats.

They're not telling you to totally cut them out of your diet. Just within moderation as previously mentioned.

JDMurray

/usr wrote: »

The only "addictive" substance in those drinks is going to be caffeine.

The only physically addictive substance. People can become mentally addicted to anything, such as the (real or perceived) stimulation felt from caffeine or sugar. In the same regard, most tobacco smokers can quickly get past the physical addiction of nicotine, but struggle the rest of their lives with their mental addiction to the act of smoking itself.

Anything consumed on a regular basis that contains the ingredients "corn syrup," "fructose corn syrup," or "high fructose corn syrup" is bad for your liver, causing it to work excessively hard and do a poor job of regulating other factors in your blood chemistry, such as cholesterol and triglycerides. You liver is a like a CPU--it can only work so hard before it slows down to a crawl and no useful work can be done. Be kind to your liver and go easy on the things it metabolizes, like caffeine, alcohol, and fructose corn syrup.

wd40

tiersten wrote: »

Nearly everything is bad for you in excess. Too much water will kill you. Too much of certain vitamins are toxic etc...

Correct, Drinking too much water = you will need to go to the WC more => there is an increased chance of slipping on the wet bathroom floor and killing your self

---

in addition to power horse I sometimes drink some Japanese "Healthy Drinks" .. like Lipovitan with honey + Ornamine C

tiersten

wd40 wrote: »

Correct, Drinking too much water = you will need to go to the WC more => there is an increased chance of slipping on the wet bathroom floor and killing your self

No. There is an actual danger to drinking extremely large amounts of water. Your electrolyte balance will be severely affected and this will affect organ functions which can kill you.

The usual reasons are some sort of contest ala "Hold your wee for a Wii", drug induced overconsumption or through incorrect rehydration after intensive exercise.

wd40

tiersten wrote: »

No. There is an actual danger to drinking extremely large amounts of water. Your electrolyte balance will be severely affected and this will affect organ functions which can kill you.

The usual reasons are some sort of contest ala "Hold your wee for a Wii", drug induced overconsumption or through incorrect rehydration after intensive exercise.

Ouch! .. died for a ... wii

coffeeking

skrpune wrote: »

The best recipe for energy is good sleep and a good diet and exercise. Fairly simple and common sense. My husband is reading a book on "food" (note how it's in quotes) and what has become of the modern person's diet, and it's shocking what we eat. It has a pretty simple directive that says it all and that is hard to argue with: "Eat food. Not so much. Mostly plants." Honestly, it's the best food advice I've ever heard.

Couldn't agree more! and the part about what we have become in term of eating habits, someone who looks into it (like your husband) could only find out how scary it is.

blargoe

When I was still in college I was hooked on Jolt and Josta (which has been long discontinued).

Thank goodness I got over it all before Red Bull and Monster and all that stuff came out. These days, I reach for a Red Bull if I'm totally out of gas (like the end of an emergency double shift) and I KNOW I'm going to be in a place where I can crash within a couple of hours... because I KNOW I'm going to crash. Happens maybe 2 or 3 times a year. Otherwise, just morning coffee.

CCIEWANNABE

unless you like passing kidney stones i would suggest not drinking a lot of soda.

also, high fructose corn syrup = bad

hoomi_mcse

on my first Microsoft Exam I couldn't sleep for 2 nights before the exam. I had exam at 9 am and I only slept few hours the night before. I was very sleepy the morning I was going to take exam and I toOk redbull and it really turned me on! after that I became somehow addictive to Red Bull but when I heard from a dr. that Red Bull cause brain attacks more likely and then I found similar things in internet about red bull I gave it up completeley. so it's better not to use any energy drink as they seems dangerous to the brain.

vCole

They're not addictive, but caffeine is. (Trust me, I know! )

But yes, most of these ARE bad for you. Loads of caffeine and sugar is never a good thing.

Pash

What about red bull with lots of vodka mixed in? (not the other way round)

wd40

Pash wrote: »

What about red bull with lots of vodka mixed in? (not the other way round)

So after drinking this you will be drunk and energized at the same time, not a good thing

---

I do not drink so I wouldn't know what happens

binarysoul

I have to mention that other soft drinks such as Coke, Pepsi, and etc are as guilty as energy drinks when it comes to being unhealthy. True, if one drinks these in moderation little harm will occur. But hey, a product such as energy drinks don't have to take you near-death to be judged as 'unhealthy'.

Let me sum it up: I don't know the name, but a person who recently became the oldest to live, gave this advice "if humans made it, don't eat it".

vCole

Pash wrote: »

What about red bull with lots of vodka mixed in? (not the other way round)

Caffeine will increase the amount of oxygen in your blood stream = getting you drunk faster.


But boy, do I love grape vodka and Red Bull

Webmaster

veritas_libertas wrote: »

Hilarious, it seems that the ad system T.E. is using decided that a Lance Armstrong energy drink would suit this thread well

Oh I should add that to the competitive ad filters. Here's the good stuff: