Final Essay

Red Bull is an increasing popular energy drink mostly among young adults; older people too. It’s said to give people insane amounts of energy to react faster and increase speed and ability to work out more intently. People even are so dependant on energy drinks that some don’t even have enough energy to get out of bed in the morning or make it through the day without drinking an energy drink. It may be possible Red Bull can provide people with extra energy to work out harder or make it through the day. Bottom line is, they are unhealthy and people are dying from drinking Red Bull, spending hundreds of dollars for no reason, taken in unnecessary calories and causing unpredicted health concerns.
Studies have been held to determine the effects of Sugar-Free Red Bull energy drinks with a high-intensity run time to exhaustion in young adults (Darren Condon, 2009). They found Sugar- Free Red Bull did not affect the high-intensity run time to exhaustion in young adults. People will drink a Red Bull before hitting the gym or doing a high intensity sport, thinking it will improve their energy in order to achieve the results they desire (Darren Condon, 2009). Though like the study above, there are others that prove Red Bull has no real effect on the bodies’ intensity level. Also some studies written on the energy Red Bull does give people, according to Anitei, a science editor, who wrote “Does Red Bull give you wings?” said the sugar in Red Bull does give people energy, only for a short amount of time, then the body crashes and is worst off than it was before. In one can, Red Bull carries the same amount of sugar that the body needs in a day (Stefan Anitei, 2007).
People are actually dying from drinking Red Bull according to the Swedish National Food Administration, who is leading this investigation, they are telling people not to drink Red Bull mixed with alcohol, or after a heavy exercise. Three healthy young adults have died after drinking a Red Bull shortly before their deaths. Two of the victims died after mixing Red Bull with vodka. They were dancing on the dance floor in a local club then just hit the ground; hearts stopped beating, and then became lifeless. The third victim died after drinking multiple cans of the energy drink, then following a heavy work out at the gym. Seems as if there is a pattern to these deaths, the amount of sugar and caffeine in only one can of these drinks are enough to make your heart race; then combined with a stressful work out, lifting weights or dancing will over work your heart and body.
Even without the one can of Red Bull a day, the average American consumes an astounding 2-3 pounds of sugar each week. This is not surprising considering that people take in table sugar, corn sugar, and high- fructose corn syrup; they are all being processed into so many foods, bread, breakfast cereal, mayonnaise, peanut butter, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, and many of the microwaveable meals (Gene, 2001). Makes people think what’s one can going to do, compared to the everyday sugar taken in everyday? Well not only does sugar slow down the immune system, causes diabetes and brings heart disease, it’s even a main cause contributed to a serious problem Americans have called obesity (Gene , 2001)
Sugar and caffeine in energy drinks can also lead to other health compilations such as, anxiety and insomnia (Healing Daily, 2007). When it comes to anxiety and insomnia caffeine has a different affect on everyone. Some people feel completely normal after drinking caffeine at night and others can stay up all night because their nervous system is too stimulated to allow deep, restful and prolonged sleep (Healing Daily, 2007). People who already have problems with anxiety, then drink a lot of caffeine heightens the intensity of the mental activity in the brain can produce unpleasant effects. Red Bull makes people become very jittery and very irritable. When the body feels jittery, hands begin to shake, palpitations and wobbliness of the legs. Over time caffeine can become highly addictive because it make the body believe it has so much energy (Healing Daily, 2007). Then once the false energy is gone, the body and brain is more exhausted than it was in the first place.
Overall, Red Bull is a pointless energy drink that cost too much money just to cause the body to over work itself. With people dying after drinking these energy drinks, having heart conditions, sleeping problems, obesity problems, anxiety and many other problems that have been being discussed, why would anyone want to subject themselves to ruin their body and in some cases life’s just to drink a can of Red Bull? They are doing more bad than good, and the problems they are causing need to come the attention of people.