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what are you drinking right now?

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Harold_Z Newbie

Harold_Z

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Re the Red Bull thing....I tried some for the first time two weeks ago during a long ride while going on vacation. I was driving, felt tired, stopped at rest stop and saw some and bought a bottle. To my surprise, it seemed to work. Didn't make me feel speedy or anything, but about a half hour after I drank it I was awake.

I tried it again on the way back. Same thing. Now I was curious. Can this really work ? I'm ususally not effected by suggestion so I don't think that was it. But who knows?

When I went back to my office another guy who went on vacation at the same time coincidentally related a similar story to me. I asked him if he thought it was for real. He said he thought so and some friends of his swore by it.

I have a tendency to be skeptical about things like this, but I have to say this seemed to work and I'm interested in other opinions on it from people who have tried it.

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alocispepraluger102 Newbie

alocispepraluger102

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NFL players riding Red Bull as latest source for an edge

Sep. 13, 2006

By Pete Prisco

CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer

Tell Pete your opinion!

In October 2004, Carolina Panthers defensive end Mike Rucker readied himself to play a game by downing a can of Red Bull, like he always had in recent years.

The popular energy drink was his way of getting "amped" to play the Philadelphia Eagles. But in the first quarter, something didn't feel right. Rucker's heart was beating fast and seemed to be skipping a beat. Scared, he was forced to leave the game.

Mad scientist? Marcus Stroud of the Jags mixes his pregame Red Bull with Mountain Dew Code Red. (US PRESSWIRE)

Subsequent tests showed no damage to the heart, but it was an incident that changed the way Rucker prepared for games.

"The Red Bull is gone," Rucker said. "My heart was racing from the stuff. So I decided to get away from it. I made a personal decision not to drink it. I'm not sure if it's what caused my problems since we really don't know, but I don't want to take any more chances.

"If you're sitting at your desk job and you need a boost, Red Bull is fine. But I don't think it's smart to drink it before you play football. I learned that lesson."

It's a lesson other NFL players might want to follow. Drinking Red Bull has become a pregame ritual in many locker rooms.

"Some guys drink it like water," St. Louis Rams receiver Torry Holt said. "Guys are looking for an edge."

Since the NFL banned ephedrine three years ago, rendering products with it illegal in the league's performance-enhancing drugs policy, players have turned elsewhere for that added boost.

They've found it in Red Bull, the leader in the now-burgeoning energy drink market. So what is Red Bull?

According to a company spokesman, Red Bull is a non-alcoholic energy drink with a unique formula and effect. It is composed of ingredients that enable the body to function at a high level even in situations of mental and physical strain. Red Bull's five primary ingredients include:

Taurine, one of the most abundant free amino acids in the human body found in high concentrations in the muscle, brain, heart, retina and blood cells.

Caffeine, a well-known stimulant that has been shown to significantly improve reaction speed and general attentiveness.

Glucuronolactone, a carbohydrate derived from glucose that is naturally present in the body and performs a number of metabolic functions.

Carbohydrates, primary energy-giving nutrients.

B-complex vitamins, critical dietary components that are essential for the body's normal metabolic functioning.

Red Bull has 80 milligrams of caffeine, the equivalent of one cup of coffee, but the same as three cans of Coke, which, when combined with the taurine, is where the kick comes from.

The big question is whether it's safe for NFL players to be drinking before games.

Dr. Adolph M. Hutter, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and the cardiologist for the New England Patriots, is against players drinking Red Bull or any energy drink during pregame.

"Too much of it can cause you to be jittery and have extra heartbeats," Hutter said. "It can cause heart palpitations."

Patrice Radden, a spokesman for Red Bull North America, counters this by saying, "There are no dangers or drawbacks associated with the consumption of Red Bull. Nevertheless, athletes have to consider that Red Bull is a functional drink and not a thirst quencher. Generally, you can compare its digestibility with that of coffee, and this is a good guide to the amount you can drink. It is recommended that the daily consumption of Red Bull should conform to a person's intake of caffeine, and this varies from person to person. The caffeine in one can of Red Bull equals that of one cup of filtered coffee. Red Bull has also been recognized by NSF as a safe product for professional athletes."

NSF International tests products to make sure they're free from banned substances, which would make them safe for athletes. Red Bull did receive certification from the NSF, and it does not contain substances banned by the NFL. But that doesn't mean it's a good idea for pregame use by players.

"I would not recommend using this product before games," Hutter said.

On the Red Bull website, it says the product can increases performance, concentration and reaction speed, improves vigilance, improves emotional status and stimulates metabolism -- claims Radden said are backed by scientific evidence.

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Marcus Stroud doesn't need the studies to know how it makes him feel.

"It gives you wings, like the commercial says." Stroud said.

Stroud, a three-time Pro Bowl player, mixes up what he calls his "concoction" to help get him ready for the rigors of battle in the NFL trenches. He drinks Red Bull with Mountain Dew Code Red to give him what he said is a needed jolt just before kickoff.

"It amps me up a little," Stroud said. "It gives me a boost."

The little silver cans of Red Bull started sprouting up in locker rooms the past three years. After games, you'd see cans sitting in many players' lockers; some were empty and some unopened, still to be consumed for the postgame lift.

After the Tennessee Titans played the Atlanta Falcons in the preseason, receiver Bobby Wade had a can of Red Bull sitting in the top of his locker. Asked about it, Wade said he liked to drink it before games.

"I drink it before games just to get me alert and get me going," Wade said. "I bring two, but I normally just drink one."

Greg Aiello, the NFL's vice president of public relations, was somewhat surprised when asked if there was any concern on the league's part about players using Red Bull to amp up.

"Red Bull?" Aiello said. "Red Bull? There are no banned substances in it. That's our official position on it. There's nothing in it that our drug program would test for."

That doesn't mean it's entirely safe. The research on the effects of energy drinks on athletes is limited. But in 2000, an 18-year-old basketball player from Ireland died on the court after drinking four cans of Red Bull before a game. The link to Red Bull and his death was inconclusive, and the coroner ruled that he died as a result of sudden arrhythmia death syndrome (sudden death due to cardiac arrest brought on by an arrhythmic episode).

"An inquest into the death of a young man in Ireland established that there could be no link between his death and consuming Red Bull Energy Drink," Radden said.

Some European countries, concerned with the ingredients, have not yet authorized the sale of Red Bull.

In the United States, it's everywhere. Walk into a club these days, and you're bound to see club-goers drinking Red Bull and vodka. Look to the desk next to you, and you might see a co-worker downing a Red Bull to get the day going, rather than a cup of coffee.

"It's like a double espresso," Wade said.

That lift is what the NFL players want as well, but their day includes physical activity as part of their job.

For years, players have been searching for the boost. Years ago, amphetamines were big until they were banned. Then before ephedrine was banned, it was Ripped Fuel players used to get up for games. As I was researching a story on Ripped Fuel a few years back, before ephedrine was banned, players openly admitted to using the product.

Red Bull is NFL's current Ripped Fuel.

"Guys were forced to find something else," Holt said.

"Everybody wants that extra jump," Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Brian Kelly said.

Kelly said he usually drinks one can of Red Bull before a game to get him going.

"It's a common drink," Kelly said. "They sell it all over the place. Everybody loves it. We use it to get a little energy boost. It doesn't get your heart rate going that fast, just that little jump that gets you going."

Like Rucker, some players have turned away from Red Bull. Atlanta Falcons defensive end John Abraham and Jaguars safety Deon Grant both used to drink Red Bull before games but have stopped.

"It gets me too hyped," Abraham said.

"When I was with Carolina and I drank it, I was extra hyped," Grant said. "I'd be talking a lot, running around more. It might just be a mental thing, but it certainly made you feel more hyped. It definitely has your motor running. I stopped because I didn't think the acid in it was good for me from a hydration standpoint."

Some dieticians have concluded that the mixing of Red Bull ingredients, particularly the caffeine and sugar, will cause the body to get rid of water. For an NFL player, that's the last thing they want. Staying hydrated is imperative.

"That's why I mix mine with the Mountain Dew," Stroud said. "I don't want to fall out from the Red Bull. I can drink one, but anything over that and I get the jitters."

There's also talk of a crash. Some players say they feel it during games after they drink Red Bull.

"I remember coming down," Rucker said. "That was tough."

Night games are big for Red Bull. Players sit around all day long, waiting to play, and they get stagnant. A Red Bull or two can really help before late kickoffs, they say.

"If I have a night game, I might drink two," Kelly said.

Teams are even providing the Red Bull for players. At $2 a can at the convenience store, the lift isn't cheap. On a recent trip to the Jaguars locker room, some training staff members were seen pushing a cart loaded with cases of Red Bull from the parking lot to the team's facility.

Told about that, defensive end Bobby McCray joked, "They should have had that covered."

Jaguars trainer Mike Ryan did not return a phone call last week, but, according to some players, he is against the use of Red Bull as a pregame upper.

"I think the smartest thing I did was get away from that stuff," Rucker said. "Nobody knows how it affects your heart, but why take the chances that it can do something?"

Why? It's an edge, and we all know NFL players are always looking for the edge.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright © 1995 - 2006 SportsLine.com, Inc. All rights reserved. SportsLine is a registered service mark of SportsLine.com, Inc.

CBS "eye device" is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

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