Caffeine

In the past, energy drinks and caffeine intake have been negatively associated with physiological conditions including, but not limited to: increasing the risk for heart disease and stroke. In recent years, the researchers in the scientific community have dedicated their research to obtain more accurate data. Their data proved to have differing conclusions than what people believe. The scientists believe that caffeine intake has no impact on long term physiological conditions. Also, caffeine has been associated with a decreased risk of stroke, improved cognitive function, and enhanced athletic performance. Although, there have been no adequate long term studies conducted; there were many variables that could have contributed to misleading conclusions.

Cardiovascular health has been the primary cause of concern. Taurine is a common chemical found in energy drinks, including Redbull. In a recent study, researchers exposed one group of subjects to taurine, one group to caffeine, and the last group to taurine and caffeine. Taurine alone had no significant difference in contraction force in the heart, whereas the groups exposed to caffeine had a significant increase in force. We can conclude that caffeine does have a short term effect of elevating blood pressure and heart rate.That being said, taurine, once associated as a harmful ingredient, does not have a significant effect on the heart.

There is a significant relationship between energy drinks and beneficial cognitive effects on the physiology and psychology of the brain. Redbull showed to have a significant increase in memory efficiency. Through testing, it was determined that Redbull significantly improved memory function compared to Redbull Sugar-Free and the placebo. Also, it was determined that Redbull significantly improved feelings of alertness and jitteriness, and decreased the feeling of tiredness.

Caffeinated beverages significantly decrease fatigue and improve overall power output during exercise. Prior to and after exercise, researchers took the athletes' blood to determine overall potassium and lactate concentrations in blood. Lactate is produced when muscles are working and are not being properly oxygenated, which causes muscular soreness. In subjects that took caffeinated pills had a significant increase in lactate suggesting that there was a more efficient exercise.