Redbull =Bad for heart?

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C

Candi

I have a question that keeps getting mixed reviews from friends & family.

Is RedBull "BAD", For a person with heart problems?

If my mother visits & see's me with one I get yelled at! :eek:

I ask because I drink a lot of it... (well 2 a day anyways), it has a lot of B Vitamins!
I've slowed down so much that it's the only thing that gets me going when I need to.

---I'm just curious if it really is 'bad' & why?

I know it increases heart rate & that's not good since your heart has to work harder ....& our hearts working harder right now isn't good.... I know when my heart really starts to beat fast I get dizzy, short of breath and it feels like my heart is going to stop. ...but just drinking a Redbull doen't cause that.


Does anyone know?

Thanks!
 
Candi said:
I know it increases heart rate .... I know when my heart really starts to beat fast I get dizzy, short of breath and it feels like my heart is going to stop.
Click to expand...

I think you asked a question and answered it in one post....:eek:

I'd say excessive caffine is bad for people like us and red bull is essentially a caffine shot so while it may not be directly bad if you drink one it may be collectively bad if you drink a few, plus coffee, plus tea etc...

If you feel lethargic without this drink it would probably be better to speak to your cardio and get your meds altered.
 
I agree, you seem to have answered your own question.

I gave up caffeine a year ago. I don't miss it. What I did was pruchase a high quality decaf bean and I grind it myself each morning. Don't taste the difference and it stilll give me the idea of a pick-me-up, even though there is zero caffeine.

http://www.valvereplacement.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18249

a thread specifically about caffeine after surgery, which is the same concerns before the OHS.

Ben
 
Yes.:D If you are drinking a lot of Red Bull, or have a regular intake of caffeinated beverages, you are most likely going to get a caffeine headache once eliminating it.

And watch out for hidden caffeine in things like Excederin, Midol etc.

That being said - we do have our coffee addicts here. But in general caffeine really isn't the best thing for someone with heart issues.
 
Candi:

Caffeine also causes calcium loss -- not good for women, who face a greater risk of osteoporosis than men.
One website I saw said to drink 1 cup of milk for every cup of coffee consumed. Don't know how much you'd have to drink for every Red Bull consumed. ;)
 
I agree with all the above. Yes, it is not good for those who don't have medical problems. I am a nurse and currently work in a school. In all the teaching I do that is one thing that gets covered every year through Current Health magazines. It tells the kids to stay away from those types of drinks because there is stuff in there that their bodies don't need and could harm them. Mostly the increase in heart rate that it causes. These type of drinks are not regulated by anyone because they are not considered to be in any catagory. My advise would be to stop drinking the red bull as soon as possible. The fatigue you are feeling is probably a symptom of your condition and you should see improvement after surgery.
 
Please stop drinking the RedBull. Please. It beefs up your heart rate and BP and that causes the heart to work harder than it should. When the heart overworks, guess what? It gets enlarged. You have evidence of an enlarged heart chamber and it is possible that your caffeine intake is exacerbating it. Again. Please stop! :)

If you have been feeling sluggish, it is either the meds, or your heart condition. The RedBull has been masking your symptoms by making you feel more energetic. Time to tune into your body. You will want to know what normal feels like, so that as you weave through recovery, you will know how incredibly much better you feel, AND you will be able to ask meaningful questions of your health care givers.

Think of this somewhat like pregnancy. Put it all in perspective. In a few weeks you will have surgery. Much like delivery, you'll be out of it for awhile, and much like with a newborn, you'll welcome/need some help for awhile. Then, progressively, everything gets better. You become familiar with the need to move slowly so as not to cause yourself pain. You finallly remember that you shouldn't shut the window because it hurts too much and someone else has to do it for you. You become familiar with the need to sleep with a lot of pillows so you can get some sleep (many of us sleep in recliner chairs for awhile). It's a different set of circumstances, but it's kinda the same song and dance. Eventually your life rhythm will return to you.

But, just like you (presumably) took extra good care of yourself when you were pregnant, you need to do the same thing for YOU, now. So, please. Wean yourself off the caffeine. Your heart will thank you for it. ;)

Hang in there! It's only gonna be a few months out of your life and then "poof" you'll almost certainly be back to normal.

Marguerite
 
Candi said:
---I'm just curious if it really is 'bad' & why?

I know it increases heart rate & that's not good since your heart has to work harder ....& our hearts working harder right now isn't good.... I know when my heart really starts to beat fast I get dizzy, short of breath and it feels like my heart is going to stop. ...but just drinking a Redbull doen't cause that.


Does anyone know?

Thanks![/QUOTE

...you have answered your own question...now you need to take your own advice dear girl :D

I agree with your mum too.

I would never ever drink a red-bull or similar and have warned my kids also not to go near them.

I dont think its worth the risk specially if you have episodes of rapid heart beats. Even if it hasnt caused any problems yet it may well be adding to the chance of an event happening and thats not good.
Click to expand...
 
Please be aware that what is labeled as caffeine is not the only caffeine in the can. Most also contain a considerable amount of gaurana or guarana extract. This becomes caffeine as well, once it hits your system.

Gaurana gives these drinks a big boost without them having to label it as more caffeine. In fact, it qualifies as a natural ingredient in "all-natural" energy boosters.

Watch out for this in your "healthy" and "natural" energy boosting products from the health food store.

Best wishes,
 
Sooooo ignorant of me.....is Redbull the same as those "vitamin" waters?
 
I have wondered this myself, and as such thought i might put in my two cents. One redbull actually has 80mg while a single cup of coffee has at least 100mg (usually around 120 mg depending on the bean). How much of the guaranine turns into caffeine Im not sure.
Im wondering what exactly the cons are for a heart patient specifically. I realize that there are many med articles on why its bad in general (as well as coffee) and as far as that goes I made a personal decision to drink dr.pepper and the occaisional redbull. But now I need to make it being a heart patient, and specifically post-op.
I appreciate the info and will explore the links, as Im sure we all are and will. It seems the biggest issue is raising the heart rate, but personally even if I drink a couple energy drinks on a row i can say it never goes to a rate near exercise. I mean I can sleep 1-2 hours after drinking one.
Maybe it depends on how caffeine affects you, and as Ive read to never drink it during strenuous exercise.

lets hope this should spurns some interesting discussion.
 
Guarana

Guarana

not sure if I am spelling it right, but this "natural" supplement I am sure has been linked to heart valve damage, so no one even those without heart issues should be taking anything with guarana in it. Do a web search.

Also, as far as decaf coffee goes, I have it from an expert in the coffee business that even "decaf" coffee or beans are NOT CAFFEINE FREE. So be careful with the amount of "decaf" coffee you drink. I used to have decaf after dinner in a restaurant, then toss and turn when I tried to go to sleep afterwards. I always figured the kitchen messed up and brought me regular coffee. But that is not the case, the caffeine in the "decaf" coffee was keeping me awake.

Peggy
 
Hi Candi,

I realize this is an older post... but for what it's worth....

My nephew drinks Red Bull. He is a young man in the Airforce. He brought a few over to my house, so I tried one. It put me into A-Fib.

Needless to say, I don't drink Red Bull.

It also works against any heart medications you may be taking. That can't be a good thing.

Rob
 
I'm not going to lie, I definitely have been known to throw back quite a few red bull and vodkas. In fact, I probably had 6 at the bar last night and they don't seem to negatively effect me too much, but everyone's reaction is, of course, unique. Of course, there won't be any more of that after I get my mechanical valve in a month. Oh, how I will miss you red bull and vodkas...
 
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