Red Bull is one of the most popular energy drinks in today’s market. I mean, they distributed 7.5 billion cans throughout the world in 2019 which means they sold one can for almost every person on Earth. Red Bull has also been involved in sports for a long time. Since we see many people wondering whether professional athletes drink Red Bull or not, we decided to write this article.
So, do professional athletes actually drink Red Bull?
There is a large number of professional athletes who drink Red Bull, especially before a sporting event. Red bull consumption is especially prevalent among professional sports like soccer, basketball, tennis, cycling and motocross, mainly due to its properties to increase athletic performance.
Next, we will talk about the legal issue of Red Bull involved in professional sports, its effect on athletes, and finally which well-known athletes drink it.
Is Red Bull a Banned Substance in Sport?
In today’s professional sports world, many athletes seek that extra boost of energy, increased focus, and quicker reaction time. This is where energy drinks like Red Bull come in. It presents an easily available, cheap, and effective solution for that matter. But the question is whether it is legal in sport?
Red Bull is completely legal to use in both amateur and professional sports because it doesn’t contain any banned substances. In January 2004, WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) removed caffeine from the list of banned substances. Therefore, Red Bull is allowed to use among professional athletes. However, some athletes should not have a caffeine concentration higher than 15 mcg/ml in their bodies prior to the sporting event.
In 2003, the NCAA stated that athletes cant have a concentration of caffeine higher than 15 mcg/ml before a sporting event. Doses of 3-6 mg/kg have been found to be performance-enhancing. Such a dose typically doesn’t produce urine concentration that would disqualify the athlete. So, before a sporting event, professional athletes can drink Red Bull but they must be careful not to exceed the maximum allowed caffeine concentration.
If the athlete never consumed Red Bull, somewhere between 1-3 mg/kg of caffeine is recommended. For example, an athlete that weighs 75 kg would need to start with a caffeine dose of somewhere between 75-225 mg and then gradually move up.
Effects of Red-Bull on Athletes
Red Bull is a simple mix of caffeine, sugar, taurine and some B vitamins, all of which are popular for their energy-enhancing qualities. If you take a closer look at the can, you will see ingredients such as:
- Sucrose
- Glucose
- Citric Acid
- Taurine
- Carbonated Water
- Sodium Bicarbonate
- Magnesium Carbonate
- Caffeine
- Niacinamide
- Calcium Pantothenate
- Pyridoxine HCI
- Vitamin B12
- Natural and Artificial Flavors
- Colors
Sugars (glucose and sucrose)
Sugars found in Red Bull are made from sugar beets. They are well-known carbohydrates that can be found in various foodstuffs from fruits, fruit juices and other similar beverages. Note that carbohydrates are an essential nutrient that is vital for energy production. Your body processes these sugar the same way as fruits or other natural sources. Intake of glucose and sucrose produce a high energy rush which professional athletes often need. Red Bull contains 26 sugars per 250 ml can.
Taurine
Also called 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid, is an amino acid naturally produced in the human body. One interesting fact is that a human body contains 70 times more taurine than taurine found in one can of Red Bull. It is an antioxidant that moves minerals through the system and generates nerve impulses. Taurine has also been shown to decrease fatigue, muscle burn, and oxidative stress (1, 2, 3). Red Bull contains 1000 mg of taurine.
Caffeine
One can of Red Bull contains a similar amount of caffeine as one cup of coffee (80 mg). Caffeine’s stimulating physical and mental benefits to athletes have been extremely well documented (4). In terms of mental benefits, it stimulates the brain and noticeably contributes to greater concentration and clearer thinking. Many athletes in various sports report increased performance. Some research shows that caffeine consumption increases both aerobic and anaerobic performance (5).
Vitamin B complex
Vitamins B plays a crucial role in energy use and formation. For example, Pyridoxine HCL ( vitamin B6) helps the body to use oxygen by forming red blood cells. It also improves mood and energy levels (6).
In summary
- Produces a high energy rush which professional athletes often need
- Decrease fatigue, muscle burn, and oxidative stress
- Contributes to greater concentration and clearer thinking
- Increases both aerobic and anaerobic performance
Potential Hazards
Just like with any other caffeine beverage, it is all about the quantity. The only two ingredients you should be worried about are caffeine and sugar. All other ingredients are in small doses that are not likely to cause health problems. However, if you drink 10 cans of Red Bull in a row, you will get yourself in an extremely dangerous position. The same thing would happen if you drank ten cups of coffee.
Note that safe doses of caffeine will vary by an individual athlete but current research recommends 400 mg as the maximum daily intake in healthy adults (7). This means that no athlete should drink more than 5 cans of Red Bull per day.
To learn more about possible side-effects, check this article.
Which Well-Known Professional Athletes Drink Red-Bull?
Red Bull is almost everywhere in the sports world. From Asia to Europe, this energy drink is taking up the shelf at both local stores among professional athletes. As far as we know, dozens of popular athletes drink Red Bull energy drinks. Some of them are sponsored by it whereas others are not. Red Bull hosts an unbelievable roster of well-known athletes from all categories of sports and every part of the world.
One of the most popular athletes who is known for drinking Red Bull is PSG professional soccer player, Neymar. Others include Blake Griffin (NBA), Travis Pastrana (Motocross), Kris Bryant (MLB), Max Verstappen (Formula One), Jamie Vardy (Premier League), K.L. Rahul (Cricket) among many more.
Note that just because the athlete is sponsored by Red Bull, it doesn’t necessarily have to mean that he/she also drinks it. I mean, they could simply take the money, make some pictures for social media with the cans of Red Bull and never drink it. However, given the amount of money, these athletes receive from such sponsorships and the performance benefits, this seems very unlikely.
These are the 13 highest paid Red Bull sponsored athletes
- Neymar
- Tyler Blevins (Ninja)
- L. Rahul
- Blake Griffin
- Travis Pastrana
- Trent Alexander Arnold
- Sear Garnier
- Max Verstappen
- Dominic Thiem
- Beauden Barret
- Paul Rabil
- Breanna Stewart
| Number | Region |
|
430 |
Europe |
| 152 | North America |
| 60 | Asia |
| 57 | South America |
| 37 | Oceania |
| 21 | Africa |
| 19 | Middle East |
| 1 | Central America |
*Number of Red Bull professional athletes by region
As you can see, there are nearly 800 Red Bull-sponsored professional athletes. But the story doesn’t end there. Namely, in 2005, Red Bull bought Austria Salzburg who was renamed FC Red Bull Salzburg. After that, they were searching routes into German soccer and settled on Leipzig. Not so long after that, Leipzig moved to their new stadium, Red Bull Arena. In 2016, they were promoted to Bundesliga.
Red Bull is also heavily involved in Formula One. In 2004, they took over Jaguar and entered the Formula One competition as a works team. Since then, they have had a lot of success on the track. Don’t forget about extreme sports. I mean this one makes sense since Red Bull energy drink is associated with exciting, adrenaline-fuelled sporting action. Without any hesitations, we can say that Red Bull raised extreme sports popularity.
Down below is the table of popular sports teams sponsored by Red Bull.
| Name | Sport |
| FC Red Bull Salzburg | Football |
| RB Leipzig | Football |
| New York Red Bulls | Football |
| Red Bull Brasil | Football |
| Red Bull Racing | Formula 1 |
| Team Peugeot-Hansen | Rallycross Racing |
| Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | MotoGP |
| EC Red Bull Salzburg | Ice Hockey |
| Red Bull Skate Team | Skateboarding |
| Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team | Sailing |
Conclusion
As you see, there are hundreds of professional athletes who drink Red Bull. Now, we can’t know for sure how much and when, but we know they do. Despite many myths about energy drinks, Red Bull is safe to use in moderate doses. Professional athletes and their teams know that. Not only that is safe, but the consumption of Red Bull before a sporting event is beneficial as it seems to increase athlete performances. Of course, athletes that are extremely sensitive to caffeine intake, probably don’t consume energy drinks.
