Red Bull - Health Effects

Health Effects

Typical ingredients like caffeine, taurine and glucuronolactone have been assessed by health authorities for their safety. Health Canada conducted a review of the scientific literature on caffeine concluding that the general population of healthy adults is not at risk for potential adverse effects from caffeine if they limit their consumption to 400mg per day.

Taurine and glucuronolactone are normal body constituents and also naturally present in the human diet (e.g. scallops, fish, poultry and grain respectively). The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in its January 2009 opinion on the safety of energy drink ingredients concluded that the exposure to taurine and glucuronolactone at the levels presently used in energy drinks is not of safety concern.

A review published in 2008 found no documented reports of negative or positive health effects associated with the amount of taurine used in energy drinks, including Red Bull. Caffeine and sugar levels in Red Bull are comparable to coffee and fruit juices, respectively. Another publication found that "the number of available publications that really go into the details in this topic is also rather poor".