Red Bull Energy Drink: A Comprehensive Analysis of Physiological Effects, Behavioral Patterns, and Psychological Impacts

Authors

  • Prof. Dr. Harikumar Pallathadka Vice-Chancellor & Professor, Manipur International University, Imphal, Manipur, INDIA. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0705-9035
  • Dr. Parag Deb Roy Guwahati, Assam, INDIA.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55544/jrasb.4.2.15

Keywords:

Red Bull, Energy drink, Caffeine, Taurine, Sugar content, Sleep disruption, Heart rate, Mood changes

Abstract

This paper presents a multi-disciplinary analysis of Red Bull energy drink, examining its physiological, psychological, and behavioral effects through the lens of multiple theoretical frameworks. Using an integrated mixed-methods approach combining neurochemical analysis, psychophysiological assessment, and a large-scale survey (n=2,450) with experimental validation, we investigate Red Bull's efficacy as both a mood enhancer and energy booster. Our findings reveal significant short-term improvements in alertness, concentration, and psychological well-being (p<0.001), alongside evidence of neuroadaptation processes that facilitate dependency-like behaviors in a substantial subset of consumers. Utilizing theoretical models from cognitive neuroscience, behavioral economics, psychoneuroendocrinology, and addiction science, we elucidate the complex mechanisms through which Red Bull's constituents—primarily caffeine, taurine, B-vitamins, and sugars—modulate neurotransmitter systems and metabolic processes. Advanced statistical modeling including structural equation modeling and network analysis demonstrates that consumption patterns form distinct clusters associated with specific psychological profiles and neurobiological vulnerabilities. The paper synthesizes these findings into a comprehensive theoretical model that accounts for both the acute benefits and potential long-term concerns associated with regular consumption, with implications for regulatory policy, public health interventions, and clinical practice.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ainslie, G. (1992). Picoeconomics: The strategic interaction of successive motivational states within the person. Cambridge University Press.

Arria, A. M., Caldeira, K. M., Kasperski, S. J., Vincent, K. B., Griffiths, R. R., & O'Grady, K. E. (2011). Energy drink consumption and increased risk for alcohol dependence. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 35(2), 365-375.

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Prentice-Hall.

Blum, K., Sheridan, P. J., Wood, R. C., Braverman, E. R., Chen, T. J., & Comings, D. E. (1996). The D2 dopamine receptor gene as a determinant of reward deficiency syndrome. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 89(7), 396-400.

Bonnet, M. H., Balkin, T. J., Dinges, D. F., Roehrs, T., Rogers, N. L., & Wesensten, N. J. (2005). The use of stimulants to modify performance during sleep loss: A review by the Sleep Deprivation and Stimulant Task Force of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Sleep, 28(9), 1163-1187.

Buchanan, L., Kelly, B., & Yeatman, H. (2017). Exposure to digital marketing enhances young adults' interest in energy drinks: An exploratory investigation. PLOS ONE, 12(2), e0171226.

Eysenck, M. W., & Calvo, M. G. (1992). Anxiety and performance: The processing efficiency theory. Cognition & Emotion, 6(6), 409-434.

Ferré, S. (2008). An update on the mechanisms of the psychostimulant effects of caffeine. Journal of Neurochemistry, 105(4), 1067-1079.

Fredholm, B. B., Bättig, K., Holmén, J., Nehlig, A., & Zvartau, E. E. (1999). Actions of caffeine in the brain with special reference to factors that contribute to its widespread use. Pharmacological Reviews, 51(1), 83-133.

Giles, G. E., Mahoney, C. R., Brunyé, T. T., Gardony, A. L., Taylor, H. A., & Kanarek, R. B. (2012). Differential cognitive effects of energy drink ingredients: caffeine, taurine, and glucose. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 102(4), 569-577.

Grasser, E. K., Yepuri, G., Dulloo, A. G., & Montani, J. P. (2014). Cardio- and cerebrovascular responses to the energy drink Red Bull in young adults: A randomized cross-over study. European Journal of Nutrition, 53(7), 1561-1571.

Guest, N. S., VanDusseldorp, T. A., Nelson, M. T., Grgic, J., Schoenfeld, B. J., Jenkins, N. D. M., et al. (2021). International society of sports nutrition position stand: caffeine and exercise performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 18(1), 1.

Heckman, M. A., Sherry, K., & De Mejia, E. G. (2010). Energy drinks: An assessment of their market size, consumer demographics, ingredient profile, functionality, and regulations in the United States. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 9(3), 303-317.

Higgins, E. T. (1997). Beyond pleasure and pain. American Psychologist, 52(12), 1280-1300.

Juliano, L. M., & Griffiths, R. R. (2004). A critical review of caffeine withdrawal: Empirical validation of symptoms and signs, incidence, severity, and associated features. Psychopharmacology, 176(1), 1-29.

Kahneman, D. (1973). Attention and effort. Prentice-Hall.

Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Kamimori, G. H., McLellan, T. M., Tate, C. M., Voss, D. M., Niro, P., & Lieberman, H. R. (2015). Caffeine improves reaction time, vigilance and logical reasoning during extended periods with restricted opportunities for sleep. Psychopharmacology, 232(12), 2031-2042.

Kay, A. C., Gaucher, D., Napier, J. L., Callan, M. J., & Laurin, K. (2008). God and the government: Testing a compensatory control mechanism for the support of external systems. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(1), 18-35.

Kennedy, D. O. (2016). B vitamins and the brain: Mechanisms, dose and efficacy—A review. Nutrients, 8(2), 68.

Kennedy, D. O., & Haskell, C. F. (2011). Vitamins and cognition: What is the evidence? Drugs, 71(15), 1957-1971.

Kennedy, D. O., Veasey, R., Watson, A., Dodd, F., Jones, E., Maggini, S., & Haskell, C. F. (2010). Effects of high-dose B vitamin complex with vitamin C and minerals on subjective mood and performance in healthy males. Psychopharmacology, 211(1), 55-68.

Khantzian, E. J. (1997). The self-medication hypothesis of substance use disorders: A reconsideration and recent applications. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 4(5), 231-244.

Knäuper, B., Rabiau, M., Cohen, O., & Patriciu, N. (2004). Compensatory health beliefs: Scale development and psychometric properties. Psychology & Health, 19(5), 607-624.

Koob, G. F., & Le Moal, M. (2008). Addiction and the brain antireward system. Annual Review of Psychology, 59, 29-53.

Koob, G. F., & Volkow, N. D. (2016). Neurobiology of addiction: a neurocircuitry analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry, 3(8), 760-773.

L'Amoreaux, W. J., Cuttitta, C., Santora, A., Blaize, J. F., Tachjadi, J., & El Idrissi, A. (2010). Taurine regulates insulin release from pancreatic beta cell lines. Journal of Biomedical Science, 17(Suppl 1), S11.

Lazarus, R. S. (1991). Emotion and adaptation. Oxford University Press.

Lombardini, J. B. (1991). Taurine: Retinal function. Brain Research Reviews, 16(2), 151-169.

Marczinski, C. A., Fillmore, M. T., Henges, A. L., Ramsey, M. A., & Young, C. R. (2013). Effects of energy drinks mixed with alcohol on information processing, motor coordination and subjective reports of intoxication. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 21(1), 5-13.

McEwen, B. S. (2000). Allostasis and allostatic load: implications for neuropsychopharmacology. Neuropsychopharmacology, 22(2), 108-124.

McLellan, T. M., Caldwell, J. A., & Lieberman, H. R. (2016). A review of caffeine's effects on cognitive, physical and occupational performance. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 71, 294-312.

Messier, C. (2004). Glucose improvement of memory: a review. European Journal of Pharmacology, 490(1-3), 33-57.

Monnard, C. R., & Grasser, E. K. (2018). Perspective: cardiovascular responses to sugar-sweetened beverages in humans: A narrative review with potential hemodynamic mechanisms. Advances in Nutrition, 9(2), 70-77.

Nehlig, A. (2010). Is caffeine a cognitive enhancer? Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 20(s1), S85-S94.

O'Leary, F., & Samman, S. (2010). Vitamin B12 in health and disease. Nutrients, 2(3), 299-316.

Peacock, A., Martin, F. H., & Carr, A. (2013). Energy drink ingredients. Contribution of caffeine and taurine to performance outcomes. Appetite, 64, 1-4.

Peters, S. J., & Leblanc, P. J. (2004). Metabolic aspects of low carbohydrate diets and exercise. Nutrition & Metabolism, 1(1), 7.

Porges, S. W. (2007). The polyvagal perspective. Biological Psychology, 74(2), 116-143.

Posner, M. I., & Petersen, S. E. (1990). The attention system of the human brain. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 13(1), 25-42.

Red Bull GmbH. (2023). Annual Report 2023. Fuschl am See, Austria.

Reissig, C. J., Strain, E. C., & Griffiths, R. R. (2009). Caffeinated energy drinks—A growing problem. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 99(1-3), 1-10.

Ripps, H., & Shen, W. (2012). Review: Taurine: A "very essential" amino acid. Molecular Vision, 18, 2673-2686.

Robinson, T. E., & Berridge, K. C. (1993). The neural basis of drug craving: An incentive-sensitization theory of addiction. Brain Research Reviews, 18(3), 247-291.

Scholey, A. B., & Kennedy, D. O. (2004). Cognitive and physiological effects of an "energy drink": an evaluation of the whole drink and of glucose, caffeine and herbal flavouring fractions. Psychopharmacology, 176(3-4), 320-330.

Shah, N. R., & Holman, R. A. (2010). Implications of rapid weight loss: A review of the literature and a case study. Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 12(1), PCC.09m00890.

Solomon, R. L., & Corbit, J. D. (1974). An opponent-process theory of motivation: I. Temporal dynamics of affect. Psychological Review, 81(2), 119-145.

Svenningsson, P., Nomikos, G. G., & Fredholm, B. B. (1999). The stimulatory action and the development of tolerance to caffeine is associated with alterations in gene expression in specific brain regions. Journal of Neuroscience, 19(10), 4011-4022.

Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science, 12(2), 257-285.

Vendruscolo, L. F., Gueye, A. B., Darnaudéry, M., Ahmed, S. H., & Cador, M. (2010). Sugar overconsumption during adolescence selectively alters motivation and reward function in adult rats. PLoS One, 5(2), e9296.

Volkow, N. D., Wang, G. J., Logan, J., Alexoff, D., Fowler, J. S., Thanos, P. K., ... & Tomasi, D. (2015). Caffeine increases striatal dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability in the human brain. Translational Psychiatry, 5(4), e549.

Yerkes, R. M., & Dodson, J. D. (1908). The relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of habit-formation. Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology, 18(5), 459-482.

Downloads

Published

2025-04-30

How to Cite

Pallathadka, H., & Roy, P. D. (2025). Red Bull Energy Drink: A Comprehensive Analysis of Physiological Effects, Behavioral Patterns, and Psychological Impacts. Journal for Research in Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, 4(2), 139–155. https://doi.org/10.55544/jrasb.4.2.15

Issue

Section

Articles

Similar Articles

<< < 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.