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Red Bull causes blood clots

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Marie Claire World News: Red Bull

The sugar-free version of the energy drink Red Bull may increase the risk of blood clots, say Australian researchers.

We've all guzzled the drink at one stage or another – whether it be as a caffeine substitute in the morning or the lethal mix with vodka on a night out - however experts say the drink can cause the blood to thicken and raises the risk of heart attack or stroke.

Despite the drink's marketing strategy that promises to give its drinkers 'wings', an Australian study showed the real dangers of the energy drink.

The study tested the cardiovascular system of 30 young adults one hour before and one hour after consuming a 250ml can of sugar-free Red Bull.

Head researcher Scott Willoughby, from the Cardiovascular Research Centre in Adelaide, said the results were remarkable: 'One hour after they drank Red Bull, (their cardiovascular systems) were no longer normal. They were abnormal like we would expect in a patient with cardiovascular disease.'

Dr Willoughby said special attention was paid to the factors that led to blood clots and stickiness of the blood. 'If you get an increase in stickiness and a decreased ability of the blood vessels to stop its stickiness, that adds up to a bad situation,' he said.

'If you add in other risk factors for cardiovascular disease – stress or high blood pressure – this could be potentially deadly.'

Dr Willoughby explained that further studies of the effects of Red Bull would be carried out. The energy drink is already banned in countries including Norway and Denmark.

He added: 'The can currently comes with a warning of its own. But if you have any predisposition to cardiovascular disease, I'd think twice about drinking it.'