Dear FitSugar,
Hi Fitsugar, I really love energy drinks especially Red Bull, but I have no clue what is really in it or how many calories it has. I was wondering if you could give me the calorie breakdown of Red Bull and Sugar Free Red Bull (yummm) so I will know if I need to kick my habit to the curb! Thanks.
— Red Bull Betty
Well, Red Bull Betty, I do not think you are alone in your Red Bull "addiction."
Let's start with the caloric content: one 8.3 ounce can of
regular Red Bull contains 110 calories and 27 grams of sugar (that is almost 2 tablespoons of sugar). Red Bull Sugar Free contains only 10 calories and is sweetened with aspartame.
Here's a little info from Wired on the key energy producing ingredients of Red Bull.
Taurine was originally isolated from bull bile in 1827 (hence the name of the drink), but fortunately it is now made synthetically. Taurine's actual effects are wide-ranging - it is an inhibitory neurotransmitter (in some cases acting as a mild sedative), an age-defying antioxidant, and has the potential to steady irregular heartbeats.
To learn about the other ingredients, read more
Glucuronolactone hardly anyone has looked into exactly what this stuff does, and most research on this ingredient was performed 50 years ago - seems a little dated, don't ya think? Rumor has it that this ingredient fights fatigue and increases well-being - but this could be the "bull" that give the drink its name.
Caffeine does increase concentration and reaction speed, as well as improve emotional state and boost metabolism. One can contains 80 mg of caffeine that is more than three times the caffeine that’s in the same amount of Coke.
Niacin aka vitamin B-3, increases so-called good cholesterol (HDL) by preventing the formation of triglycerides, making it a terrific cholesterol drug. Unfortunately, there isn't enough niacin in a can of Red Bull to have this benefit. And it's not even pure enough to give you the mild head rush dubbed the "niacin flush."
Essentially, Red Bull is basically sugar water mixed with caffeine. I am not a fan of energy drinks and think we are all better off getting our caffeine from less processed sources like coffee (no more than 3 cups a day!) and tea since they contain antioxidants naturally and taste great without all that sugar!
Koodos
So Bin Ich
Jean Paul Gaultier
Hmmmmm... I sometimes drink Red Bull during the exams to stay awake a little bit longer. However, the taurine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter? Does that mean it's actually harder for my brain to 'store' all the data if I'm drinking Red Bull? Yikes.
1Ew, I feel sick after those drinks. I just drink a TALL Iced American from Starbucks when I go clubbing and that's all.
2Can you buy taurine by itself? if it is not a stimulant, perhaps it would make better my irregular heart beat
3carvinsugar, i think that you can buy taurine at health food stores. it might be in the amino acid or supplement section.
4*cravin* oops!
5wow so iguess red bull isnt the best thing to drink when i am trying to study so i have a question what is???
6Red bull hurts my teeth so much when I drink it...but it do like it mixed with vodka
lol
7Ugh.. I can't even stand the smell of Red Bull
8AGE DEFYING!? ahhh.
that is friggin amazing!
even tho i'm only 21 i still worry about the aging process so woot. and i def knew the bull bile already... my coworker tried to convince me ages ago that it was bull urine. gross.
9Wow, it really makes you cringe to see people downing those 24 oz Rock Stars of doom. That's gotta exceed the three cups of coffee recommendation...
10"Sedative"...that may be why Red Bull and every other energy drink I have tried makes me sleepy. So does coffee. Good thing all of those are nasty to me. I really hate caffeine. It's a nasty drug.
11My boyfriend kept insisting Taurine was from bull semen (ew!!). I told him that either way it was now synthetically produced so it doesn't matter.
12What about if you drink it with abinsthe and vodka in a bullrush?? =D
13red bull to me is honestly the most gifted thing i have ever tasted in my life. i have drank ALOT in my life and i plan to drink many more ^-^ btw red bull+sprite+lemon gin= AMZAING go ahead try it out
14I can't drink Red Bull! I just got a sample of something called Emv. It is 100% natural...80% of the drink are "Super Fruits"...can't wait to try it.
15it also has trace amounts of cocaine.
16How do you know about the traces of cocaine?
17I was looking for the ingredients of red bull. Unfortunately they are not all listed here. One was said to be given to the soldjers in one of the wars for a feeling of "well being" You can not buy that ingredient in the US. I'll have to keep looking to ..wait I have a can.
18since I try to monitor what i put into my body, i've tended to stay away from the majority of energy drinks. i found one that's all natural called efusjon. it actually tastes great. i used to get that wired feeling when i drank red bull and monster, but not with this one.
19Yes!! Efusjon is the healthy energy drink! It does taste great and is healthy. It contains a lot less sugar than Red Bull, Monster, Rockstar, etc. It has lots of vitamins too and acai berry which is know for it's natural anti-oxidants and is called the healthiest known food in the world. They make a caffeine free one for those who are looking for some extra energy, but no caffeine. Happy drinkin!!
20Efusjon cans contain 15 grams of sugar for the "Raw" version and 20 grams for the caffeinated variety. Red Bulls have 27 grams of sugar, almost twice as much as for Raw. A lot of the energy drinks of the Red Bull crowd taste like over-sugary lemon or lemon-lime sodas like Mountain Dew. If it weren't for Efusjon, I wouldn't drink any energy drinks, but I'm sold on this one. I think that the high school and college crowds in particular would easily gravitate toward Efusjon because it's a lot healthier. I hope that anyone who's reading this will try some. Mercy12 and I are firm believers in Efusjon.
21just to clarify you guys. the sugar in efusjon or myefusjon.com/tacl energy drink are from Brown sugar and it's all natural.
22do people understand that calories are energy?
which is a good thing.
and red bull has more niacin than most drinks.
niacin is nicotinic acid is niacinamide is
NICOTINE.
Glucuronolactone is actually a .... DETOXIFYING AGENT.
red bull costs so much for a reason.
everything in moderation.
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