Conclusion
The Red Bull Company claims that drinking Red Bull improves one’s cognitive
capabilities and muscular performance (1). The company attributes these enhancements
to the unique combination of the ingredients including key components such as caffeine,
taurine and glucuronolactone. However, it seems more plausible that most of the effects
observed when drinking Red Bull come principally from caffeine. Red bull contains
about the same amount of caffeine (80 mg) as a cup of coffee. However, because coffee
takes time to cool, it is ingested over a longer period of time than it takes to consume Red
Bull. Drinking Red Bull brings into the body a large dose of caffeine in a short amount
of time, resulting in a sharp rise of plasma caffeine concentration. In addition, a
psychosomatic placebo effect of having consumed an “energy drink” may compound the
chemical’s actual effects. Thus it seems that drinking a cold cup of coffee may induce
the same “energizing and refreshing” effects of drinking Red Bull – and best of all, at
one-third the cost.