Red Bull, a popular energy drink from Austria, is invading Ohio State. However, while rumors and controversies circle this product, it still remains a top drink.
This new product claims to increase physical endurance, improve reaction, speed and concentration and to stimulate metabolism and stamina.
Red Bull is in high demand in Europe, North and South America, Africa and Australia. According to many magazines, it has become a hugely popular drink in European nightclubs.
“When I was in England this summer, a lot of people in Europe would drink it, and that is when I became familiar with Red Bull,” said Erin Casey, a senior in English.
The popularity of Red Bull on campus arose when some students began mixing the energy drink with alcohol. Red Bull is often mixed with vodka or ordered as a martini.
Consumers should be aware that when mixing Red Bull and alcohol, they are mixing a stimulant and a depressant. Ultimately, alcohol use can lead to dehydration.
The Institute for Legal Medicine of the University of Munich claimed Red Bull has no effect on alcohol metabolism. Likewise, the Austrian Ministry of Health said mixing alcohol and Red Bull is safe, but one should always be cautious when drinking alcohol.
“Red Bull has effects on the mind and body,” said Doug Young, student campus representative of Red Bull and a senior in finance. But he added that “it’s 100 percent safe.”
Young’s job as student campus representative of Red Bull is to promote the product and introduce it to campus bars. According to Young, Red Bull targets college students. Their focus group is students on campus who are in need of a large amount of energy, especially partiers and athletes.
Young said almost every campus bar carries Red Bull, including the State Discount store and Buck-I-Mart. Brewery District bars and downtown nightclubs are also carrying Red Bull because of high demand. “Red Bull is very popular here and the sales are increasing every week,” said Kazemi Shahriar, owner of the Carlile Club.
A can of this energy drink costs around $2 a can on campus. In big cities such as Los Angles and New York City, a can of Red Bull can go for $3.50. Red Bull is also sold in cases for about $43.99 for 24 cans.
Red Bull main ingredients are taurine, glucoronolactone, caffeine, vitamin B-12 and carbohydrates. One can of Red Bull contains 113 calories.
An 8.3-ounce can has more than 80 milligrams of caffeine. The amount of caffeine in Red Bull is equal to a cup of unfiltered coffee.
“When I drink Red Bull with vodka, it tends to keep me up longer than when drinking other alcoholic drinks,” Casey said. She said her professor in England would drink Red Bull in the morning instead of coffee.
Taurine is an essential amino acid that naturally occurs in the body, acting as a metabolic transmitter and additionally having a detoxifying effect and strengthening cardiac contractility.
One rumor that plagued Red Bull was that it was made from chemicals that were found in bull’s testicles. However, the taurine that is found in Red Bull is produced synthetically from Red Bull manufacturers.
Taurine was detected 40 years ago in cattle. Yet it is also found in blood of humans, fish and other animals. It has been added to baby food to aid infants’ physical development.
Since average ingredients are used to produce Red Bull, it does not have to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration, which classifies Red Bull as a food. Unless complaints surface, Red Bull will never undergo testing by the FDA.
Red Bull endured more controversy when the University of Southern California banned it after university officials supposedly linked student misconduct with Red Bull. The decision was made to ban the energy drink after a nearby high school had a Red Bull incident, in which two high school student athletes were hospitalized when they passed out after consuming Red Bull.
BevNet.com, a well-respected Internet taste tasting review, graded Red Bull with a D+. The review said Red Bull tastes like medicine, doesn’t quench thirst sufficiently and is too sweet.
Dietrich Mateschitz developed Red Bull in the ’80s. He traveled to Asia frequently and became fascinated by the wide variety of energy drinks available there.
In 1987, he launched Red Bull on the Austrian market. Today Mateschitz is the managing partner of Red Bull.
Coca-Cola and Anheuser-Busch are launching their own product lines of energy drinks to jump onto the trend Red Bull has started.
Last year the worldwide revenues of Red Bull reached over $1 billion, and the drink was available in 45 countries. Red Bull plans to have its product in every state in the United States by the end of 2001.
