Red Bull charges into the workplace

NOT JUST A CLUBBERS’ DRINK

Battling against the 2 p.m. blahs, some worker bees are turning to energy drinks such as Red Bull for an afternoon pickme-

“I will sometimes drink [Red Bull] instead of a coffee in the afternoon. I started doing it because after a while if you drink too many coffees … they sort of sit wrong in your stomach,” says Steve Kee, director of media and marketing with TSX Group.

Mr. Kee says he puts in at least 65 hours a week at the office. He often arrives at work by 6:30 a.m. with a large cup of coffee from Tim Hortons. Depending on how he feels, he might follow that up with a second in quick succession.

But after nine or 10 hours in the office, Mr. Kee says his energy to flag.

“ I think what happens over the course of a day, if you have a long day and you work out [at the gym] in the middle of the day or whatever you do, you run the risk of being tired and being dehydrated,” Mr. Kee says, especially if you drink a lot of coffee, which is a notorious diuretic.

“There were times when I would have a Coke in the afternoon, but I started trying Red Bull every now and then. It’s not bad. It’s a different flavour,” Mr. Kee says.

The father of two children, age 12 and 14, isn’t in the demographic you would necessarily associate with Red Bullquaffing.

The energy drink market is crowded with various brands being promoted to different audiences. For example, Monster energy drink — its tag line is “unleash the beast” — is aimed at a younger crowd.

But Red Bull is the granddaddy of them all. Over a billion cans of Red Bull are sold worldwide, though in 2004 the European Court of Justice upheld a refusal by France to authorize the sale of the drink because of public health concerns. Though Red Bull cautions in its labelling that the beverage not be mixed with alcohol, nonetheless, it has been dubbed the “clubbers’ drink.”

Officially, the caffeinated beverage, sold in 250 mL cans, is promoted as helping “temporarily restore mental alertness or wakefulness when experiencing fatigue or drowsiness.”

But the manufacturers aren’t just looking to sell their product to people seeking to keep their party face on. “ All markets are important and Red Bull is supported wherever people may want an energizer. We target all people — truck drivers, businessmen, college students, etc.,” says Chantal Chrétien, a spokeswoman for Red Bull.

But does it actually work? According to Doug Cook, a Toronto-based registered dietitian, there is some evidence to suppport Red Bull’s claims.

He says he has found credible studies indicating that two ingredients in Red Bull — taurine, an amino acid, or protein building block, and glucuronolactone, a form of sugar — work with caffeine to boost its effects.

“However, longer-term data is lacking. Nor is there an upper limit established for [safe consumption of taurine and glucuronolactone],” Mr. Cook says.

He adds, “energy drinks are considered safe” and the amount of caffeine in them — in the case of Red Bull, 80 mg per 250 mL — falls well within the maximum intake of 450 mg of caffeine a day recommended by Health Canada.

However, he cautions “ it would not be advisable to use that number alone to guide the amount of energy drinks consumed because of the other ingredients.”

As it turns out, waning energy isn’t an issue for all midday Red Bull drinkers.

A Toronto-based human resources coordinator, who did not want her name used, drinks about three cans of Red Bull a week, shortly after lunchtime, strictly because she enjoys the flavour.

“ It’s a very unique taste,” she says.

Not a coffee drinker, she has found she can have trouble sleeping if she quaffs a Red Bull a little too late in the day.