Avoid This Beverage to Reduce Your Risk of Having a Stroke and Heart Attack

When feeling tired and low on energy, many
people’s first reaction is to reach for a cup of
coffee. Energy drinks are the other popular
‘solution’. One of the most famous energy
drinks, Red Bull, created a name for itself as a
beverage that ‘gives you wings’. Sponsoring
many extreme sport events, Red Bull’s
marketing motto states that they support
daring people and innovative ideas. They don’t
mention the potential health dangers of their
signature drink.

The popular Red Bull has now been associated
with cardiovascular problems, including stroke
and heart attack. It has been banned in Norway,
Denmark and Uruguay, and France stopped
selling it between 1996 and 2008.

Red Bull thickens the blood and provides the
body with an unnatural level of stimulation.
Scott Willoughby, lead researcher from the
Cardiovascular Research Center at the Royal
Adelaide Hospital in Australia , reports that one
hour after drinking just one can of Red Bull,
blood consistency of the research participants
became abnormal and resembled that of a heart
patient. Willoughby warns that when combined
with stress or high blood pressure, Red Bull can
cause damage to blood vessels and creates the
risk of blood clotting. This is especially
dangerous for people who have a predisposition
to cardiovascular disease.

Red Bull’s primary ingredients are caffeine and
sugar. The latter is in the form of
glucuronolactone, sucrose and glucose. It also
contains aspartame, the artificial sweetener
that has been linked to neurotoxic, metabolic,
allergenic, fetal, and carcinogenic effects. The
Red Bull’s original manufacturer in Austria even
warns their costumers not to drink more than
two cans a day.

As with other caffeinated beverages, Red Bull
gives you a quick high. But this is short-lived
and it turns into a low, so you soon feel you
need another energy boost. And another can (or
cup). You enter a vicious cycle and many people
get addicted to Red Bull and other energy
drinks.

On top of the adverse effects connected with
high caffeine content, Red Bull contains
different chemicals that have not been properly
researched yet. Many people also combine it with
alcohol, which adds to the potential dangers. It
means mixing a stimulant with a depressant. This
can overload the body and lead to serious health
problems. According to an article published in
2001 in the journal Medicine, Science, and Law ,
when combined with ephedra, which is also a
stimulant, Red Bull can cause acute psychosis.