Red Bull High Duration?

February 7, 2005 1:08 PM

About how long does the "high" of a Red Bull Sugarfree last, on average? (If there's a "low," about when does that kick in?)
posted by esd to food & drink (14 comments total)

In my experience, the "high" of the sugarfree lasted about an hour...not much of a low to speak of.
posted by tristeza at 1:39 PM on February 7, 2005

I used to work for the company, so my answer is both scientific and from personal experience-- but for the purpose of AskMe, probably biased. Email me (address in my profile) if you want my response.
posted by mireille at 1:44 PM on February 7, 2005

I used to work for the company, so my answer is both scientific and from personal experience-- but for the purpose of AskMe, probably biased. Email me (address in my profile) if you want my response.
posted by mireille at 1:44 PM PST on February 7

C'mon, just tell us!
posted by Mean Mr. Bucket at 2:26 PM on February 7, 2005

Is that cool here? Not sure of the etiquette on this one. I have the utmost respect for the company/brand/product/employees (and I can't say that about most former employers), plus there's this little 'was until recently dating someone still on the inside' issue...
posted by mireille at 3:11 PM on February 7, 2005

Share and share a-like.

Cough up the info, we all want to know.
posted by o0o0o at 3:26 PM on February 7, 2005

Okay, going to copy-paste from my email response to esd:

(BTW, esd, sorry for the extra step to get the info-- better safe than delete-hammered...)

Red Bull (the regular kind) gives you energy through simple sugars, taurine, and B vitamins. It contains a small amount of caffeine (as much as a small cup of coffee) as a catalyst to get the other ingredients working faster (like in Excedrin), and not as a provider of energy. The sugars in regular Red Bull are simple sugars-- glucose and sucrose. Most soft drinks contain high fructose corn syrup, which the body must USE energy to break down; simple sugars, however, are converted *directly* into energy.

Now, if you are drinking the sugarfree version, you will still get an energy boost, but it won't be quite on the level it would be with the regular version. One advantage to the sugarfree version is that you don't have a 'sugar crash'. If you are concerned about your daily intake, a couple of things to note:

1. There is no accepted maximum daily intake recommendation for taurine, which means that it doesn't appear to be harmful at larger doses.
2. Your body simply eliminates any unusable (excess) B vitamins (Notice how yellow your urine is after you drink it? That's the B vitamins.)

In my experience, 2-3 regular cans a day was fine, but for some reason 4 gave me a nasty stomachache. I know that the owner of the company drinks 10 cans a day without a problem. The general rule is this: if you feel you need an energy boost, drink a can. Don't sip on it, consume the whole thing in a relatively small amount of time-- this gives you the greatest boost.

At one a day, you don't have anything (timing or otherwise) to be concerned about. If you don't have any real dietary reason to drink the sugarfree version, I would highly recommend the regular version. Tastes better.
posted by mireille at 3:33 PM on February 7, 2005 [1 favorite]

Any truth to stories I've heard of people (specifically, a basketball player) consuming a large number of cans, going into strenuous activity (a game) and suffering a heart attack from all the energy?
posted by stray at 4:17 PM on February 7, 2005

stray, Wikipedia says:

In 2000, Ross Cooney, a healthy, 18 year old basketball player from Limerick in Ireland died after sharing four cans of the drink before a basketball game. An inquiry into his death ruled that he died from Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome and the connection to Red Bull was inconclusive.

Also, mireille, I've thanked you privately, but, what the heck, I'll thank you publicly, too -- I appreciate the reply!
posted by esd at 5:28 PM on February 7, 2005

What I want to know is: Isn't the "high" in regular Red Bull also followed by a "low"? Won't it make you feel like crap later?
posted by madman at 8:49 PM on February 7, 2005

Madman: I have pretty bad sugar crashes and low blood sugar problems in general-- when I get hungry, I have about a 20 minute window to get some food in before I start to feel overly warm, shaky, and nauseous. That said, I've never had a problem with Red Bull with regard to feeling 'low' after the energy boost has worn off. It has been noted by many (and I can attest to this as well) that Red Bull-Vodka hangovers (say, after 5-6 cocktails the night before) can be pretty nasty, but that is more sugar-related-- any mixed drink will do more or less the same thing.

One great tip: Red Bull is awesome for curing hangovers. It's a combination of re-upping the body's blood sugar level and the glucuronolactone (a detoxifying agent). I speak from a great deal of experience on this one, and discovered it well before I ever worked for them.
posted by mireille at 9:15 PM on February 7, 2005

Isn't the "high" in regular Red Bull also followed by a "low"? Won't it make you feel like crap later?

Never any problems here, even at the 4-6 a day level...
posted by First Post at 10:41 PM on February 7, 2005

... did you see this thread about Red Bull on Blue today?
posted by fourstar at 10:43 PM on February 7, 2005

Actually, I saw that one first. I was pretty hesitant about posting here, even, because my continued enthusiasm for the product and company sounds kind of pepsi-blue-ish (you have to love the irony of that statement) given my prior employment, though that is very far from the case. I stayed off the blue just to keep it from getting out of hand.

BTW, esd-- you're very welcome! Thanks for the note of appreciation!
posted by mireille at 11:16 PM on February 7, 2005

You should be a littler more concerned if you buy a ThinkGeek Caffeine Sampler, and consume that all at once. I wouldn't be worried or interested in red-bull "highs" since they tend to be very mild compared to something like caffeine. Whereas red bull is an energy drink, caffeine is a drug.
posted by Lockeownzj00 at 3:17 PM on February 8, 2005