From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The references in this article would be clearer with a different or consistent style of citation, footnoting, or external linking.

Red Bull
Product logo
Type	Energy Drink
Manufacturer	Red Bull GmbH
Country of origin	Thailand
Introduced	1987
Related products	Cocaine (drink), Monster Energy

Red Bull is the brand name of an energy drink that originated in Thailand and, in a version adapted to Austrian tastes, is now popular throughout the world. Sold by Red Bull GmbH as an energy drink to combat mental and physical fatigue, it contains, per 250 ml (8.3 U.S. fl. oz.) serving, about 21.5 g sucrose, 5.25 g of glucose, 50 mg of inositol, 1000 mg of taurine, 600 mg of glucuronolactone, vitamin B --20 mg of Niacin, 5 mg of Vitamin B6, 5 mg of Pantothenic Acid and .005 mg of Vitamin B12-- and 80 mg of caffeine. The caffeine in one serving is similar to that found in an average cup of brewed coffee (typically 100 mg/250 ml cup, but 72 mg for a U.S. regular 6 fluid ounces cup of coffee) or twice as much as found in a can of Coke (40 mg/330 ml can). A sugar-free version has been available since the beginning of 2003. Sugar-free Red Bull is sweetened with aspartame and acesulfame potassium, as opposed to sucrose and glucose.

The drink is intended to taste like mixed berries, and is commonly used as mixer in alcoholic drinks such as vodka and is the base ingredient in the now famous Jägerbomb and Remytini. Almost 1 billion of the slim 250 ml cans were sold in 2000 in over 100 countries, 260 million of them in the UK. In 2006, more than 3 billion cans were sold in over 130 countries. 3,903 employees generated 2.6 billion euros in turnover.

Contents 1 Ingredients 2 Health concerns 3 Origins 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

A can of Red Bull from the United Kingdom states the ingredients as: Water, sucrose, glucose, sodium citrates, carbon dioxide, taurine, glucuronolactone, caffeine, inositol, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, caramel and riboflavin.

In its natural form, taurine is derived from animal tissue, having been first isolated from bull (Bos taurus) bile; however, the taurine used in the Red Bull drink is produced synthetically. It is also the first energy drink to list glucuronolactone in its ingredient list.

The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. This section has been tagged since December 2007.

The sale of Red Bull is prohibited in some countries, usually due to its taurine content or its alleged high level of caffeine. However, many countries which formerly banned Red Bull (and similar energy drinks) have revised their legislation to allow drinks containing taurine or higher amounts of caffeine, including Switzerland (1994), Finland(2005). As of 2007, Red Bull remains prohibited in Denmark, Norway, France, Uruguay and Iceland, but is now allowed in Canada.

Red Bull is subject to numerous claims of adverse health effects, most of which are urban legends. In 2001, the drink was investigated by the Swedish National Food Administration after being linked to the deaths of three consumers, and was completely cleared. It has been subject to a number of other health concerns regarding glucuronolactone, a precursor of taurine. Glucuronolactone is a naturally occurring chemical compound produced by the metabolism of glucose in the human liver. It has received some notoriety due to urban legends that it was a Vietnam War-era drug manufactured by the American government. The rumor goes on to say that it was banned due to several brain tumor-related deaths. The rumor has since been proven false, as neither the cited British Medical Journal article nor the "banning of its consumption" ever occurred. Due to the link with taurine, only energy drinks without taurine are sold in France, but infant formula sold there (and worldwide) is commonly supplemented with taurine. Furthermore, no warnings appear on the Food and Drug Administration website regarding its potential to cause brain tumors or other maladies [6].

A common concern regarding the beverage is its supposedly high caffeine level. Proponents of the beverage counter critics by stating that a serving has roughly the same amount of caffeine as that found in a cup of coffee. [7]

In 2007, a study conducted by American researchers concluded that Red Bull, along with other popular energy drinks, could boost both blood pressure and heart rates, prompting them to warn those with heart disease to avoid the drinks due to the possibility it could reduce the effectiveness of their medications. The increases, however, did not cause dangerous levels in healthy people. The various measures of heart rate all rose between 5-10 percent during the 1 week trial. It is important to add, however, that researchers refuse to confirm exactly which energy drink(s) was/were tested during the study. Regardless, key similarities between Red Bull and the other energy drinks named make the study relevant to the ongoing discussion of Red Bull. [8]

The original Red Bull drink was developed in Thailand by the company TC Pharmaceutical, where it was sold under the Thai name 'Krating Daeng'.^[1] The recipe was based on Lipovitan, an earlier energy drink that had been introduced to Thailand from Japan. Krating Daeng sales soared across Asia in the 1970s and 1980s, especially among truck drivers, construction workers and farmers. Truck drivers used to drink it to stay awake during the long late night drive. The working class image was boosted by sponsorship of Thai boxing matches, where the logo of two red bulls charging each other was often on display.

The Thai product was transformed into a global brand by Dietrich Mateschitz, an Austrian entrepreneur. Mateschitz was international marketing director for Blendax, a German toothpaste company, when he visited Thailand in 1982 and discovered that Krating Daeng helped to cure his jet lag.^[2] Between 1984 and 1987, Mateschitz worked with TC Pharmaceutical (a Blendax licensee) to adapt Krating Daeng for European audiences. At the same time Mateschitz and Chaleo Yoovidhya founded Red Bull GmbH; each investing $500,000 of savings and taking a 49% stake in the new company. They gave the remaining 2% to Chaleo's son Chalerm, but it was agreed that Mateschitz would run the company.^[3] Red Bull GmbH launched the “Austrian” version of Red Bull in 1987, which is carbonated and not as sweet as the original Thai recipe. “Austrian” Red Bull entered its first foreign market (Hungary) in 1992, and the United States (via California) in 1997.^[4]

It is the Austrian formula that has taken almost half of the US market for energy drinks, and up to 80% of the market in some other countries.

In addition to owning half of Red Bull GmbH, Chaleo and his son continue to market the original formula across Asia. In 2006, Forbes Magazine listed Chaleo as being the 292nd richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of over $2.5 billion^[5] while Mateschitz was listed at number 317.^[6]

Front of Krating Daeng can as available in Australia.

Back of Krating Daeng can as available in Australia.

The front and back of a western can of Red Bull, from the UK.

• Red Bull GmbH, the company which produces and markets this product
• Red Bull Trolley Grand Prix New Zealand
• Lipovitan
• Red Bull Air Race World Series
• Team Red Bull, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso
• List of energy drinks
• Jägerbomb
• Red Bull New York, a soccer team
• Red Bull Salzburg, an Austrian football club

1. ^ Energy Drinks in the U.S. Beverage Marketing Corporation, 2006 [1]
2. ^ Selling Energy, Economist, May 9 2002 [2]
3. ^ Soda with a buzz, Forbes, 28 March 2005, [3]
4. ^ Red Bull GmbH Company History. Retrieved on 2007-10-12.
5. ^ 'Billionaires, #292 Chaleo Yoovidhya, Forbes , 2006 [4]
6. ^ 'Billionaires, #317 Dietrich Mateschitz, Forbes , 2006 [5]

• Red Bull Home
• Red Bull America
• Red Bull Art of The Can (Red Bull International Art Competition)
• Red Bull Mobile Energy Team
• Red Bull Flugtag Online Game (American Version)
• Red Bull Dragsterday Online Game
• Red Bull RockCrawlers (Red Bull Sponsored extreme off-road competition team)
• What's inside: Red Bull Wired.com (Jun 2007)
• Upcoming Red Bull Events
• Bull's Eye Magazine (Web TV, presentation of Red Bull events and activities)
• Red Bull health impact (Google Answers)
• French ban on Red Bull upheld by European Court Medical News Today (Feb 2004)
• Press release of the European Court inf the French case
• Raging Bull Investigation CBC Marketplace (Feb 2005)
• Science vs. the Bull Rebuttal to the CBC Marketplace article above (Mar 2005)
• Bull Marketed Urban legends pertaining to Red Bull (Oct 2004)
• Red Bull 'masks alcoholic effect' BBC News (Mar 2006)
• Red Bull F1 Fan car fundraising website a campaign for uploading pictures to a Formula 1 Car to raise money for spinal injury research