Curious article. No need to shoot the messenger, it's something worth discussing.  The concerns may be valid, or they may be a false alarm, but we won't find out by shooting anyone.

Am looking for the paper, haven't found it yet. Of all the 600 articles on that research that I found on the net, most seem to be regurgitation of the same information - some shorter and less detailed, none that I found with more information.  Nowhere does any reporter bother to report what 'symptoms' become worse after drinking Red Bull, or to what degree (other than 'sticky blood').

Willoughby seems to have done several papers on blood cell and blood vessel response to nitric oxide - his findings in other studies were that reduced response to nitric oxide is characteristic of heart disease.

Here's a study that found that taurine made blood less sticky, not more - it lowered blood clotting (platelet aggregation) by 10% - which goes against the idea that taurine increases the risk of stroke (which is a blood clot that travels to the brain).
Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

Taurine does reduce nitric oxide - which may actually be good during a cluster attack. When people are in cycle, nitroglycerin is usually a pretty good trigger, suggesting that we are too sensitive to nitric oxide, or have too much.  

But like nitric oxide, taurine also relaxes blood vessels - this is the opposite of the idea that Red Bull causes blood vessels to clench up and may contribute to stroke.
Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

Here's a study that found that taurine actually improves the vascular reactivity of diabetic mice - they were less likely to have the abnormal over-reaction to adrenaline and close the blood vessels too much, less likely to have over-expansion of blood vessels in response to acetylcholine.  
Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

The general conclusion about taurine is that it reduces blood pressure ... lower blood pressure is generally linked to a lower risk of stroke.
Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

Here's a study that found that taurine reduced brain damage when stroke was induced in lab animals; it suggested that taurine has potential in treating strokes.
Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

There may be some other risk factor that taurine increases - too soon to tell. Or it may be something other than taurine in the Red Bull that affects whatever it is that Willoughby was measuring (for example, WTF is glucuronolactone?) Or it may be that Willoughby is basing his predictions on something that doesn't translate to real risk.  Don't know, will be watching this one.

I do think that mixing Red Bull with calcium channel blockers is a potentially bad idea.  

Interesting. I wonder what they mean by sticky blood? This is definitely something to be watched.

I wonder if any of our members here have had any problems after drinking Red Bull or any similar drinks?

A sincere thank you to all involved so far.  This sort of research is terrifically important to us all so we can make our own decisions on personal health-care based on all the information available.  

Surely that's what ch.com has been all about since the get-go.

The one thing I'll add is that, here in Oz at least, kids have taken to using caffiene-based energy drinks as mixers with their vodka/tequila/whiskey and the results have been catastrophic.  I worry that such carry-on might cause the demise of the energy drink, rather than addressing the problem.

As to shooting messengers?  I'd rather wake up next to her to cook a fair dinkum breakfast.

Back in here a lot of young people are drinking energy drinks, without a doubt many of them are drinking them daily, all year around and are not aware/don't care about the risks. Of course the caffeine/taurine content varies from energy drink to energy drink, but back in here the vast majority have similar amount of caffeine and taurine than Red Bull. Aguess our health officials have a new issue in their hands if this development continues...

Sanna

superhawk2300 wrote on Aug 18^th, 2008 at 10:46pm:


Most likely, but at least with all of these we're told the risks up front. Even if it's not really confirmed or not, it's good to know that there -may- be one.