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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Red Bull gives you wings - and heart trouble? |
| 2008-08-15 |
| Red Bull might "give you wings" but new research suggests just one can of the popular energy drink may increase the risk of heart damage. A study of university students aged between 20 and 24 years old found that drinking one 250ml sugar free can of the caffeinated energy drink increased the "stickiness" of the blood and raised the risk of blood clots forming. The students in Australia, who represent the target market for the drink, showed a cardiovascular profile similar to that of someone with heart disease after drinking one can. Red Bull emphatically denied today that the drink, which is distributed to 143 countries worldwide, was dangerous. In a statement, it said it had been proved safe by "numerous scientific studies", and it had never been banned from anywhere it had been introduced. However, Dr Scott Willoughby, of the Cardiovascular Research Centre at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Adelaide University, said he was "alarmed" at the results of his survey. "After one can it seemed to turn the young individual into one with more of the type of profile you would expect to see with someone with cardiovascular disease," he said "People who already have existing cardiovascular disease may want to talk to their physician before they drink Red Bull in future." The results shocked the 30 students tested, some of whom drank up to eight cans per night to help them stay awake to study, and many now refuse to consume the energy drink again. Red Bull is popular among students as a means to stay awake while studying. It is also a popular party drink mixed with alcohol, with a 'Vodka Red Bull' being the drink of choice for many 18-30 year olds in nightclubs and bars around the world. Dr Willoughby said he decided to conduct the study after recent reports of deaths in young people who had consumed large amounts of the energy drink before they died. The high level of caffeine in Red Bull was suspected to be a contributing factor in the death of a 40-year-old man in Oxford who suffered a fatal heart attack in April after collapsing at an Asda store where he worked. In 2007 an 18-year-old British basketball player died after consuming three cans of the drink, and in July 2001 a 33-year-old Australian man died of a heart attack after drinking a pitcher of Red Bull and vodka. "There was enough anecdotal evidence to catch my attention," Dr Willoughby said. He plans to expand the study and test a larger number of subjects, and also aims to look into the effects of multiple consumptions of the drink as well as how mixing it with alcohol can affect the cardiovascular system. One can of Red Bull contains 80mg of caffeine, around the same as a normal cup of coffee, and 1,000mg of taurine, an amino acid commonly used in energy drinks. Dr Willoughby said individually caffeine and taurine have been shown to affect platelet and cardiac function, sometimes with beneficial results. However, combined in the Red Bull drink they had a dramatic effect on his 30 students. "Caffeine and taurine -- both of these individually point towards being beneficial but maybe there's something quirky about the effect of the combination of the two which is causing this reaction, this is what we need to look at next," he said. In a statement, Red Bull emphatically denied that Red Bull was dangerous to drink. "The study does not show effects which would go beyond that of drinking a cup of coffee," it said. "Therefore, the reported results were to be expected and lie within the normal physiological range." The statement added that countries where it had been introduced had strict health procedures which Red Bull had passed. "Red Bull has not been banned in any country. There are places where it has not been authorised yet. It takes a lot of time to get a completely new product, with special ingredients in a complex composition, through all the official channels. "Red Bull is actively pursuing marketing authorisation proceedings in various countries, including Denmark and Norway. Some of these countries have very restrictive nutrition policies concerning the supplementation of foodstuffs with certain ingredients such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids." It continued: "Last year alone, over three and a half billion cans and bottles of Red Bull were consumed in over 143 countries worldwide. "Red Bull could only have such global sales because health authorities across the world have concluded that Red Bull is safe to consume. Numerous scientific studies in the fields of sports medicine, internal medicine and psychology confirm the claims made for Red Bull. All scientific studies are peer-reviewed, published and can be found in public databases." Red Bull, which has the catchphrase "Red Bull gives you wings", was created in Austria in the 1980s. The company last year sold 3.5 billion cans of the drink in 143 countries. Red Bull cans carry health warnings advising customers not to drink more than two cans a day. |
| Posted by:john frum |
| #2 ION CHINESE MIL FORUM > CHINA DAILY - SCIENTISTS WARN GLOBAL OXYGEN LEVELS ARE DECLINING/FALLING [Less Oxy, More CO2, + Global Pan-Enviro Changes-Desertific as per MMGW]??? D *** NG IT, CHINA DAILY SEZZES WE = WORLD NEEDS A TRULY OBJECTIVE EMPIRICAL STUDY!? MORGELLONS = MAGELLONS > Post-Modern Life [Industrial-Bio Chemicals] is inducing MAN TO NATURALLY GROW EITHER FEATHERS OR FISH SCALES Since 9-11/WOT [old] > WAR FOR UNITARIANISM includ UNITARIAN SOCIALISM > "BIRDMAN" WID FISH SCALES, OR "AQUAMAN" WITH FEATHERS??? CARTOON CHANNEL > HOME-EROTIC, GAY CAPITALIST LAWYER [Blue Falcon] "FLYING FISH" SWIM GUY IN TIGHTS - OWG Guy-Liner, Man-Scara, and soon-to-come Man-pons, etc. goes FULL MONTY??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-08-15 21:07 |
| #1 And kidney stones. Anything with Creatine derivatives will do that. |
| Posted by: McZoid 2008-08-15 10:07 |