A can of Red Bull is not like your average cup of coffee. It may deliver a much-needed dose of energy on hectic mornings and slow afternoons, but you probably shouldn’t make energy drinks a part of your daily regime.
Some of you may be accustomed to grabbing a can or two of that caffeine-infused sugar water on the go out of convenience or force of habit, but do you know that energy drinks are not that good for you?
Aside from being loaded with sugar and sometimes other dubious ingredients, energy drinks like Red Bull also contain an absurd amount of vitamins.
So you may be wondering, “Can I drink Red Bull everyday?”
The short answer is no, you should never drink Red Bull, or any other energy drink every single day. Red Bull may give you a temporary boost for when you need it, but drinking it too frequently may be doing more harm than good.
Keep on reading and you might get surprised at what will happen if you drink Red Bull on a daily basis.
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Is It Bad to Drink Energy Drinks Every Day?
Caffeine is one of the most popular and commonly used ingredient in energy drinks. While doses as low as 10 mg is enough to give you a hit, the general rule of thumb is to not exceed 400 mg a day.
For energy drinks like Red Bull, drinking one to two cans of energy drinks is safe for a healthy adult, but drinking energy drinks every day will not exactly make you a pillar of health.
400 milligrams of caffeine a day – about the equivalent of one venti 20-ounce Starbucks coffee or two shots of 5-Hour Energy
Health. U.S News.
So it seems that an apple a day can keep the doctor away, but an energy drink a day will make you visit the doctor more.
Caffeine in Energy Drinks
Going beyond that threshold can lead to several dangerous problems. It can give harmful effects like:
- Nausea
- Palpitations
- High Blood Pressure
- Insomnia
- Dehydration
- Restlessness
- Serious Heart and Blood Vessel Problems
- Caffeine Overdose
You should also be aware of the other drinks that have caffeine in it like coffee, without being aware of this you’re caffeine intake can add up.
So if you drink coffee in the morning, drink two energy drinks in the afternoon, and eat or drink chocolate in the evening that can easily exceed 600mg of caffeine without you even noticing it!
If you want to know how much caffeine does different beverages have, here’s a table:
| Beverage | Quantity | Amount of Caffeine |
| Red Bull (Energy Drink) | 8.4 fl. oz. | 80 milligrams |
| Brewed Coffee | 8 ounces | 95 milligrams |
| Instant Coffee | 8 ounces | 60 milligrams |
| Decaffeinated Coffee | 8 ounces | 4 milligrams |
| Espresso | 1 shot | 65 milligrams |
| Tea | 1 cup | 47 milligrams |
| Regular or Diet Cola (Soda) | 12 ounces | 40 milligrams |
| Mountain Dew (Soda) | 12 ounces | 55 milligrams |
| Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate Drink | 6 ounces | 5 milligrams |
| Monster (Energy Drink) | 16 ounces | 160 milligrams |
| Matcha | 8 ounce | 70 milligrams |
| Kombucha | 14 fl. oz. | 15 milligrams |
What’s Inside a Can of Red Bull?
Just like many other energy drinks, Red Bull’s “active ingredients” are caffeine and sugar. We don’t look at the “main ingredients” because if we did, Red Bull is nothing more than overpriced sugar water.
In order to find out if Red Bull is safe for you to drink every day we need to look at the ingredients and the nutrition facts, which you can read about in the following sections.
Red Bull Ingredients
Red Bull’s ingredient list is presented below.
- Carbonated Water
- Sucrose
- Glucose
- Citric Acid
- Taurine
- Sodium Bicarbonate
- Magnesium Carbonate
- Caffeine
- Niacinamide
- Calcium Pantothenate
- Pyridoxine HCL
- Vitamin B12
- Natural and Artificial Flavors
- Colors
Red Bull Nutrition Facts
The following table lists Red Bull’s nutrition facts. I’ve pointed out some issues with Red Bull’s nutrition in a previous article if you want to check that out.
| Typical Values | Red Bull (8.4 fl.oz) |
| Calories | 110 |
| Total Fat | 0g |
| Sodium | 105mg |
| Total Carb. | 28g |
| Sugars | 27g |
| Protein | Less than 1g |
| Niacin | 100% |
| Vitamin B6 | 250% |
| Vitamin B12 | 80% |
| Pantothenic Acid | 50% |
Is it Safe to Drink Red Bull Every Day?
The most concerning thing about Red Bull is the sugar, the vitamins, particularly .
Some people have also voiced their concerns over the compound taurine, so we will talk about that ingredients as well in this section.
Sugar in Red Bull
The sugar in Red Bull is 27g which is way too much sugar. The daily limit of sugar for men is 36g and 24g for women. So drinking just one can of Red Bull exceeds the recommended amount for gals.
Consuming too much sugar can cause weight gain, inflammation, diabetes, and fatty liver disease. So the next time you’re eating check how much sugar is in it and if you think you’ve had enough then it would be better if you’ll stop your urges.
Vitamins in Red Bull
Red Bull has vitamins like vitamin B3, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12. While the other vitamins are in safe amounts (under 100% of percent daily value) the amount of vitamin B6, however, is too much for a single serving.
However, unlike fat-soluble vitamins (like vitamins A, D and E) which are stored for longer periods in the body, water-soluble vitamins like vitamin B6 is doesn’t linger in your system (it’s flushed out when you go to the toilet).
Fortunately, vitamin B6 is only dangerous when taken in excess of 2 g, and I personally believe the amount of vitamin B6 in Red Bull doesn’t nearly reach that amount. But let’s do the math just to be sure.
The recommended daily intake of vitamin B6 is 1.3 – 1.7 mg and if there are 250% of that amount would only be 3.25 – 4.25 mg, and that’s still well below 2 g so you’re probably safe.
However, when you do overdose on vitamin B6, you can experience symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, loss of appetite, headache, tingling,
sleepiness, and other side effects.
So just because vitamins can make you healthy doesn’t mean you should take too much of it, follow the Goldilocks rule: Not too little yet not too much.
Taurine in Red Bull
According to this article, there is approximately 1 g (1000 mg) of taurine in Red Bull, and the recommended dosage of taurine is between 500 – 2000 mg a day.
So, is the amount of taurine in Red Bull safe? Yes. It’s 100% safe since the amount is well within the safety zone. There are also no side effects when taurine is taken sufficiently.
The reason why energy drinks have taurine is because of its benefit, both physically and mentally.
It can improve your athletic performance, mental performance, eyesight, hearing, reduce muscle damage, lower risk of disease, lose weight, reduce fatigue, and even reduce seizures
If you’re still curious about why taurine is in your energy drink, this video might help:
Is Red Bull Bad for Your Health?
Generally, Red Bull is bad for you. It may give you energy, but it’s just a short temporary boost (so drink it only when necessary.) If being energized is what you want then there are alternatives which I’ll discuss later on.
If your also conscious about your health, but can help the urges of drinking Red Bull, then a possible alternative is Red Bull’s sugar free energy drink. It’s not good for you health yet rest assured that it has lower calories and sugar.
What Happens If You Drink Red Bull Every Day?
Red Bull has a ton of sugar which is detrimental to your health and dinking Red Bull consistently will make your body solely depend on the beverage. Stopping yourself from drinking it is known as caffeine withdrawal — and it’s hard to withdraw caffeine once you get used to it.
Sugar overdose and too much Red Bull can lead to adverse effects like:
- Increase type 2 diabetes risk
- Increase blood pressure and heart rate
- Daming your teeth
- Caffeine Addiction
Does Red Bull have long term effects?
Red Bull energy beverages have been linked to serious adverse effects on heart rate and blood pressure in many prior studies. Since Red Bull energy drinks are sugary beverages, therefore they may have negative effects on the body’s metabolism in the long run, particularly on cholesterol, sugar levels, and body weight.
This is why experts recommend that healthy individuals consume no more than one can of energy drink each day. This is due to the fact that these drinks are often laden with synthetic caffeine, sugar, and other additives that serve no useful purpose.
How long does Red Bull stay in your system?
Caffeine from a can of Red Bull typically leaves the system within 12 hours, however this differs from one person to another. Caffeine’s rapid absorption into the bloodstream raises both blood pressure and heart rate within 10 minutes, resulting in a sudden surge of alertness and focus.
In addition, it typically takes the body about 10-12 hours to entirely eliminate caffeine from your system, but this varies hugely depending on different factors.
Precautionary Measures
If you have a healthy habit in your daily life, then drinking a single can occasionally will not make you experience severe problems.
The reason being is this habit can combat the side effects of all that sugar in Red Bull, you can do several things to maximize your survival rate, and doing the examples given below can make you avoid seeing yourself end up at a hospital.
Let’s just say that if you want to drink Red Bull you have to make some sort of sacrifices.
Limit Your Intake
One can of Red Bull is okay for a day, but you know what’s better? Drinking it occasionally!
You don’t have to drink energy drinks every day. If you want a benchmark, here’s my tip for you. You should only drink Red Bull if you have a project and the deadline’s tomorrow or if you have an exam and you don’t want to feel sleepy while answering, and if you’re driving late at night.
Just a caveat, don’t forget to drink water. If you want to gulp on that Red Bull, make sure you’ve been hydrated with some H2O!
Exercise
Exercise has a ton of benefits besides giving you that six-pack abs or muscular/fit body that you desire. Some benefits are not even physically related, an example would be:
- Making you feel happier
- Helps your brain health and memory
- Helps with your relaxation and sleep
If you don’t believe me then you can see it on this article along with the physical benefits.
Find Alternatives
Honestly, if you want energy, there are a lot of ways to get it without splurging on energy drinks like Red Bull which can also break your bank if done on a daily basis. Here’s a table to show you how you can boost your energy without energy drinks:
| Energy Booster | Benefits |
| Water | Lubricates the joints, delivers oxygen throughout the body, boosts skin health and beauty, regulates body temperature, and flushes body waste. |
| Socializing | Decreases anxiety, directs our energy outward (rather than inward,) increases your mood, and, overall, is good for your mental health. |
| NOT Multitasking | Makes you more productive, prevents you from being tired, and helps you focus. |
Conclusion
Energy drinks like Red Bull obviously gives you energy, but you may be wondering if it’s okay to drink them every day. Well, energy drinks are kind of a double-edged sword.
On one hand, they provide an instant dose of vitality during desperate times. People automatically assume that caffeine is what you should look out for, tut the problem with energy drinks is oftentimes not even the caffeine but the sugar.
Sadly, Red Bull is not sugar free. It may give you a short-term boost, but it can give you long-term health problems if you make it a staple in your diet.
While I don’t recommend you drink Red Bull every day, I would suggest limiting your intake to two to three cans a week, and try some good old fashioned espresso for a change.