Ever wondered what's in a can of Redbull Energy drink? The small print lists a host of ingredients and among them is Glucuronolactone, an artificially manufactured stimulant developed in the early 60's by the American Government.

Glucuronolactone was first used in the Vietnam conflict to boost morale amongst GIs who were suffering from stress and fatigue, but was banned after a few years following several deaths and hundreds of cases involving anything from severe migraines to brain tumours in personnel prescribed the stimulant. 

That was in 1973 and Glucuronolactone is still banned for commercial consumption in America to this day. The bad news is that the substance never found its way to Europe in the early days and was therefore never banned by the EU community.  A recent article in the British Medical Journal has highlighted a growing number of cases reported by Doctors and Surgeons involving the very same side effects from the 70's. All of the patients examined were regular drinkers of RedBull and it is believed that the safety of Glucuronolactone is currently under review in at least three major European countries.

Please pass this on to any RedBull drinkers you know, and next time you get a headache after drinking the stuff, you'll know why!
 
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