Sugar Free Wings (Sugar Free Red Bull)

Member Name: collingwood21

Product:	Sugar Free Red Bull
Date:	17/12/03 (793 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Effective, Only 3 calories per can

Disadvantages: Expensive, High levels of caffeine bad for you

Red Bull markets itself as "the world's number one energy drink". It is not just your common or garden soft drink to be knocked back when you are feeling thirsty, oh no. Red Bull is a tonic or "utility drink" that is intended to be drunk to relieve mental and/or physical exertion, or as they put it "to give you wiiiiings!". It has been around since 1987 when it was first released on the unsuspecting public in its home country of Austria (this rather surprised me, for some reason I had always thought Red Bull was an American thing). Red Bull obviously went down very well, as it began to be exported from 1992 onwards. This latest incarnation of the drink - Sugar Free Red Bull - has been around since early 2003, and is now sold alongside its more famous partner in most shops that sell original Red Bull.

I have to admit that I was never a great drinker of the original Red Bull, I found it just a bit too sweet (probably something to do with the 27g of sugar you get in each 250ml can - just thinking about it makes my teeth shudder). However, I was intrigued when the sugar free version put in an appearance. It promised all of the effects of Red Bull - increased concentration and reaction speed, increased metabolism, improved physical performance and increased vigilance - but with artificial sweeteners, meaning it was just 3 calories per can. I am always a bit sceptical about the claims of what Red Bull can do for you, but there are times when a shot of something to energize me is called for! And at the end of the day, I find this drink to be a lot more palatable than coffee.

So what do you actually get in your Sugar Free Red Bull? Well, the content of the drink and design of the can are exactly the same as for the original drink, with the sugar replaced by aspartame and the dark blue packaging replaced by a light blue packaging. In short, it is not the most innovative product in the world but it doesn't rot your teeth

as much as the original drink. (Although all that aspartame probably doesn't do you much good either). Sugar Free Red Bull is a carbonated drink about the colour of apple juice, and contains three ingredients to perk up the drinker (caffeine, taurine and glucuronolactone) as well as "flavourings" and an assortment of B vitamins (niacin, pantothenic acid, B6 and B12). Caffeine is bound to be the ingredient we all are the most familiar with; it is a stimulant that works on the brain to release adrenaline and dopamine, making us feeling more wide awake and active. A can of Sugar Free Red Bull contains about 80mg of caffeine, about the same as a cup of filter coffee, and far more than you get in either a can of Coke (35mg) or Diet Coke (47mg). Taurine is an amino acid that is found naturally in the body, and that we also consume from eating fish and poultry. It is known to make heart contractions stronger, which is probably why it is included (about 1,000mg) in the drink. Glucuronolactone is a carbohydrate, included to give your body energy.

But I suppose the important thing is what Sugar Free Red Bull tastes like, isn?t it? Well, to be honest the taste is virtually identical to the original drink, although slightly less sweet. For those of you who have never tried the original I will try to explain, although the taste is not an easy one to describe! The drink itself smells rather like cream soda, yet it tastes nothing like it. I have already mentioned it is sweet, and I should probably add that it has a sharper aftertaste: I think a citrus sherbet would be the nearest I could get to the flavour. I know some people have called the taste of Sugar Free Red Bull "medicinal", although I don't really get that to be honest. The flavour of Red Bull drinks seems to be one that has the Marmite effect - you either love it or hate. Personally, I love it, although I could never drink more than one can at a go. Mind you, that is probably a
good
thing, or I would be too stimulated to sleep!

Ultimately though, the reason we drink energy drinks is for the effect rather than the taste. Obviously you are not going to get the sugar boost that you get from original Red Bull, but I still find that this drink is pretty potent stuff. It does wake me up and make me feel more energetic, I do find it effective in helping me keep going and concentrating if I have a very long day of work ahead of me. Mind you, my usual caffeine intake is limited to a glass or two of Diet Coke a day - those of you who are coffee junkies and more used to having large doses of caffeine will probably find it has a less noticeable effect on you.

A final word. Even though this drink is sugar free, fat free, low in calories and contains vitamins it is not a health drink and you should not think of it as being good for you; it is just a slightly-less-bad version of Red Bull. Prolonged intake of high levels of caffeine is not advisable as it increases your blood pressure, stimulates the production of stress hormones and can disrupt your sleep. Red Bull advise you not to drink more than three cans a day, and this is not something to be drunk on a regular basis. Sugar Free Red Bull is not suitable for children (indeed some shops refuse to sell it to under 16s) or people who are sensitive to caffeine.

The bottom line is I like Sugar Free Red Bull and find it pretty effective, although I am aware that it is not something to be used for recreational purposes or to be drunk regularly. I recommend it to anyone feeling they want the occasional kick up the backside, provided you have no health problems that may be exacerbated by drinking it. If you want to give it a try though, do shop around as prices can vary enormously and cans can be very overpriced in some places.


- Product Details
Sugar Free Red Bull is sold in 250ml cans and is available is most shops that sell regular Red Bull. It costs betwe
en 89p (Sa
feway) and £1.35 (WH Smith) per can.

www.redbull.com

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