Coach Arlan Carroll

Jul 31, 20228 min read

Is Sugar Free Red Bull Bad for You?

Is sugar free Red Bull bad for you? Read on to find out all the details so you can make the right health choices for you and your family.

Red Bull might currently be the world's most popular energy drink, but is sugar free Red Bull bad for you? Many people know that energy drinks aren't healthy because they are so filled with sugar, so they end up switching to the sugar free version. But is that version really any better?

It seems that sugar free energy drinks may be just as bad as normal energy drinks, but why? If you drink sugar free Red Bull versus regular Red Bull every day, will you start to experience some negative side effects at some point? Keep reading and learn more about why sugar free Red Bull is bad for you.

What Are the Ingredients in Sugar Free Red Bull?

Sugar free Red Bull might not have any real sugar in it, but the drink still tastes sweet. So, what is the sweetener in this energy drink? As it turns out, the main sweetener in sugar free Red Bull is an ingredient called aspartame.

What is aspartame besides a sweetener, you might ask? Aspartame is actually quite a controversial ingredient even though it is found in almost every sugar free energy drink. It is controversial because several scientific studies have started linking it to harmful health conditions.

For example, studies have exposed rodents to aspartame over the course of their short lives. The rats that have been exposed to aspartame have a higher likelihood of developing some kind of cancer at some point in their lives. Aspartame may cause brain tumors in particular, but more research is needed to know how true this is.

But the potential dangers of aspartame don't stop there. Some studies have linked the consumption of aspartame with heart disease. Of course, this is not all that much different from regular energy drinks that are full of sugar and also harm the cardiovascular system.

However, in sugar free energy drinks, it seems to be the ingredient aspartame that does a lot of this damage. Women, in particular, may be more susceptible to heart problems as a result of aspartame. Again, however, more studies are necessary to see just how true these claims are.

This is not to mention that aspartame may cause all other sorts of health conditions such as obesity, brain disease, and more. But the harmful ingredients in Red Bull don't stop there. There is another artificial sweetener in this sugar free drink called acesulfame K or Ace-K.

What You Need to Know

There are not as many scientific studies behind this ingredient as there are with aspartame and the studies that were conducted on it are often quite old. However, some studies surrounding Ace-K have found that this ingredient may also increase your likelihood of developing cancer. This ingredient may be particularly harmful to pregnant and lactating women since breast milk can end up absorbing Ace-K.

Red Bull is also full of artificial colors such as red 40. Artificial colors in the past, especially red 40, have been linked to all sorts of health issues such as the development of cancer. There are actually very few benefits of drinking sugar free Red Bull.

For example, it contains caffeine which studies have found can reduce one's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. However, you could easily drink a cup of coffee for the same effects. Red Bull also contains some B vitamins which are important for various body functions, but again, you can get these vitamins from healthy foods such as fruits, meats, and vegetables.

So, if you are drinking sugar free Red Bull because you think it's healthier than regular Red Bull, you're not really being healthier.

Sugar Free Red Bull and Weight Loss

Many people switch to sugar free Red Bull because they want to cut down on sugar and calories and try to lose some weight. However, if this is why you made the switch to sugar free Red Bull, you may find that you haven't lost as much weight as you were hoping to. Many people have this problem because sugar free Red Bull (and other sugar free energy drinks) are really not great at helping people lose weight.

In fact, you might even find yourself gaining weight again after drinking sugar free Red Bull. Why might this be, you might ask? Again, it all leads back to the use of artificial sweeteners like aspartame.

Suppose that you start drinking an energy drink with 0 calories. This sounds like a dream come true. Not only can you drink your favorite energy drink throughout the day, but you can lose weight without putting in much effort, right? Not exactly.

Even though sugar free and 0 calorie energy drinks technically should help you lose weight, the artificial sweeteners in them prevent this from happening. There are a few explanations for this. One of them is that even though sugar free Red Bull contains no sugar, it still tastes very sugary.

Sugary substances are often addictive to some extent and you may become accustomed to consuming and craving sugary things. For that reason, you may be more likely to eat more sugary substances after drinking sugar free Red Bull. Of course, if you're always tempted to eat a cookie or a piece of cake in addition to your sugar free or 0 calorie energy drink, you're not going to lose any weight. However, what if this isn't the case for you?

The Details

What if you're actively trying to lose weight while drinking sugar free Red Bull but are still seeing no progress? In this case, this may be because of how sugar free Red Bull affects your digestive system.

In particular, these energy drinks seem to negatively affect the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome is the collection of bacteria that you have living in your stomach and intestines. Many people think that all bacteria are bad, but this is certainly not the case for the gut microbiome.

In fact, without a healthy and bacteria-rich gut environment, you would suffer from all sorts of digestive issues. A healthy gut microbiome helps you digest and break down food and absorb nutrients. If there is something wrong with your gut microbiome, you might have trouble absorbing the nutrients you need and your metabolism might slow down.

As a result, you will start to have trouble losing weight. You might even have trouble getting all the vitamins and minerals from your diet because of the negative effects of these artificial sweeteners. For that reason, if you're trying to lose weight with the help of artificial sweeteners, you'll find that you won't lose hardly any weight.

Sugar Free Red Bull Is Bad for Your Teeth

Everyone knows that sugar is bad for your teeth. So, if you drink sugar free Red Bull, you won't have to worry so much about your teeth, right? Not at all.

In fact, sugar free Red Bull may be just as bad for your teeth as regular Red Bull, if not worse. Again, this has to do with artificial sweeteners but more than anything, it has to do with the fact that Red Bull is a very acidic drink. Its acidity might even be more harmful to your teeth than regular sugar.

Your teeth are covered with tooth enamel. Tooth enamel is the strongest substance in the human body, but that doesn't mean that it's invincible. Suppose that you drink sugar free Red Bull every day and throughout the day.

In a sense, you would be giving your teeth a constant acid bath. As a result, this acid would slowly start to strip away your tooth enamel. Eventually, as your enamel gets thinner and thinner, your teeth will start to become more sensitive.

This is because the roots and blood vessels within your teeth, also known as the pulp, will be less protected. Tooth sensitivity is defined as experiencing discomfort when exposing your teeth to hot or cold substances like hot soup or ice after. As you continue to drink sugar free Red Bull and your tooth enamel continues to decay, you will eventually start to suffer from tooth decay.

Tooth decay usually starts out slow but once the enamel breaks down to a certain extent and the pulp of your teeth becomes exposed, you may start to experience more serious health problems. In particular, if your pulp is exposed, you will be more likely to contract a tooth infection.

Tooth Problems

This can be very dangerous for several reasons. A tooth infection can not only be very painful but it can also lead to the loss of that tooth if you don't get it treated as soon as possible. A tooth infection can also spread to your other teeth. In severe cases, a tooth infection may spread to the rest of your body. This is a very serious condition and it can even be fatal.

On a less serious note, sugar free Red Bull can also discolor your teeth. This is because of the artificial colors that are used to color this drink. After drinking Red Bull enough, you will likely find that your tooth enamel will start to turn a shade of yellow or brown.

While brushing your teeth can certainly help prevent these dental problems, it won't prevent them entirely. In fact, brushing your teeth after drinking such an acidic energy drink can even contribute to even more tooth enamel loss. So, if you care about your teeth, you might want to think twice about opening up a can of sugar free Red Bull.

Other Reasons Why Sugar Free Red Bull Is Unhealthy

Needless to say, sugar free Red Bull and health don't go well together, but the downsides of this drink don't stop there. Many people drink this beverage every day without thinking much about it, but this may be a very bad idea. Again, it all ties back to the consumption of aspartame.

You have already seen how this ingredient is linked to the development of cancer, obesity, and other health problems. However, aspartame doesn't only cause physical health problems. Some scientific studies have shown that aspartame may also be linked to the development or worsening of depression.

It is not yet understood how this happens, but it may have something to do with how this ingredient affects normal brain function. Brains without depression have normal serotonin levels. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter (a hormone in the brain) that functions to improve your mood and make you happy.

Those with depression tend to be unable to absorb enough serotonin or are unable to produce enough. If aspartame makes this worse, you can imagine that the symptoms of depression would get worse as well. So, what can you drink to give you a boost of energy that won't also jeopardize your health at the same time?

Alternatives to Red Bull

Coffee is the best option. While coffee doesn't usually have as much caffeine as there is in a sugar free Red Bull, it still contains quite a high amount of caffeine. This is especially true if you get a concentrated dose of espresso. This is not to mention that coffee is free of any artificial sweeteners and cancer-causing ingredients.

In fact, it is full of healthy antioxidants. Certain dark teas can also give you a slight boost of caffeine and they're full of antioxidants as well.