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From the linked article on that suit >Red Bull says in its marketing that the drink can improve concentration and reaction speeds, but the plaintiff in the cas

From the linked article on that suit >Red Bull says in its marketing that the drink can improve concentration and reaction speeds, but the plaintiff in the case said these claims were false and lacked scientific support. While the suit did not allege that plaintiffs were disappointed that they didn't suddenly sprout wings, it does say that Red Bull relies a lot on terms like "wings" and "boost" to give consumers the impression that the drink gives people some sort of physical lift or enhancement.

donatj 3y ago
Isn’t caffeine, which Red Bull contains in spades, scientifically shown to do all those things?
- Projectiboga 3y ago
  Caffeine's "stimulation" is somewhat of an illusion, it only makes you feel stimulated if you're dependent and it only gets you to where you'd be if you didn't use at all. https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2012/08/21/caffeine-the-silent-killer-of-emotional-intelligence/?sh=7455c11c118c https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2012/08/21/caff... Another important issue is that it will only stave off sleep with sugar.
  - hinkley 3y ago
    Only for neurotypical people. For other populations the effect is real, I don’t know about clinical diagnostic tests but layman identifications commonly use “self-medicating with stimulants” as a red flag for suggesting someone seek a professional opinion. So “can improve concentration”? Yes. Clinically proven. “Can improve [anyone’s] concentration”? Well you’re right that’s not true. But that’s relatively recent settled science, in part because there are plenty of anecdotes going back to Coca Cola being the “Thinking man’s drink” with coca leaves in it. Cocaine makes some people more focused. As does amphetamine, and methylphenidate. But we’ve fucked the words “can” and “may” in legal terms. There is no accident that RFCs use MUST and WILL for mandatory behaviors, or that they’re in all caps.
  - thomastjeffery 3y ago
    That is assuming you would have a healthy baseline. Many people, for example those with undiagnosed/untreated ADHD, do not. Drugs are complicated.
    - Filligree 3y ago
      Just for the record, terming ADHD 'unhealthy' is a bit dubious. It's maladaptive in modern society, for sure, but that's a combination of the trait and modern society. Not necessarily a reflection on the trait in itself.
      - thomastjeffery 3y ago
        ADHD is a disorder. Living with untreated ADHD doesn't just make society hard. It makes doing what I want to do hard, too. Even in the perfect utopia, I would need medication to be healthy and enjoy life.
- chankstein38 3y ago
  As far as I understand, no amount of caffeine can make you sprout wings. /s Sorry haha you're right though the lawsuit seems frivolous
  - soco 3y ago
    Please let me reiterate the call to actually read the article (and the lawsuit topic) before commenting. I know reading more than the title and some HN comments might be often unpopular - I'm guilty of it as well - but it helps a lot understanding.
    - chankstein38 3y ago
      ?? It was a joke about the parent comment being unspecific about what benefits caffeine gives you. Can I reiterate a call to read the comment before replying to it?
- probably_wrong 3y ago
  It took me forever to find the original complaint, but eventually I found it here [1]. From the original: > [Red Bull] have made various representations to consumers about the purported superior nature of Red Bull over simpler and less expensive caffeine only products, such as caffeine tablets or a cup of coffee. (...) However, no competent, credible, and reliable scientific evidence exists to support [Red Bull]'s Claims about the product. Of course the whole purpose of settling is to never bring this issue in front of a court, but the fact that they settled and retired the slogan should, IMO, lend some credibility to this point. [1] https://truthinadvertising.org/class-action/red-bull/ https://truthinadvertising.org/class-action/red-bull/
- Filligree 3y ago
  Yes, quite. It's possible that the other ingredients counteract this -- sugar makes me quite sleepy, for one -- but the story sounds a bit odd.

donatj 3y ago

Isn’t caffeine, which Red Bull contains in spades, scientifically shown to do all those things?

Projectiboga 3y ago
Caffeine's "stimulation" is somewhat of an illusion, it only makes you feel stimulated if you're dependent and it only gets you to where you'd be if you didn't use at all. https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2012/08/21/caffeine-the-silent-killer-of-emotional-intelligence/?sh=7455c11c118c https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2012/08/21/caff... Another important issue is that it will only stave off sleep with sugar.
- hinkley 3y ago
  Only for neurotypical people. For other populations the effect is real, I don’t know about clinical diagnostic tests but layman identifications commonly use “self-medicating with stimulants” as a red flag for suggesting someone seek a professional opinion. So “can improve concentration”? Yes. Clinically proven. “Can improve [anyone’s] concentration”? Well you’re right that’s not true. But that’s relatively recent settled science, in part because there are plenty of anecdotes going back to Coca Cola being the “Thinking man’s drink” with coca leaves in it. Cocaine makes some people more focused. As does amphetamine, and methylphenidate. But we’ve fucked the words “can” and “may” in legal terms. There is no accident that RFCs use MUST and WILL for mandatory behaviors, or that they’re in all caps.
- thomastjeffery 3y ago
  That is assuming you would have a healthy baseline. Many people, for example those with undiagnosed/untreated ADHD, do not. Drugs are complicated.
  - Filligree 3y ago
    Just for the record, terming ADHD 'unhealthy' is a bit dubious. It's maladaptive in modern society, for sure, but that's a combination of the trait and modern society. Not necessarily a reflection on the trait in itself.
    - thomastjeffery 3y ago
      ADHD is a disorder. Living with untreated ADHD doesn't just make society hard. It makes doing what I want to do hard, too. Even in the perfect utopia, I would need medication to be healthy and enjoy life.
chankstein38 3y ago
As far as I understand, no amount of caffeine can make you sprout wings. /s Sorry haha you're right though the lawsuit seems frivolous
- soco 3y ago
  Please let me reiterate the call to actually read the article (and the lawsuit topic) before commenting. I know reading more than the title and some HN comments might be often unpopular - I'm guilty of it as well - but it helps a lot understanding.
  - chankstein38 3y ago
    ?? It was a joke about the parent comment being unspecific about what benefits caffeine gives you. Can I reiterate a call to read the comment before replying to it?
probably_wrong 3y ago
It took me forever to find the original complaint, but eventually I found it here [1]. From the original: > [Red Bull] have made various representations to consumers about the purported superior nature of Red Bull over simpler and less expensive caffeine only products, such as caffeine tablets or a cup of coffee. (...) However, no competent, credible, and reliable scientific evidence exists to support [Red Bull]'s Claims about the product. Of course the whole purpose of settling is to never bring this issue in front of a court, but the fact that they settled and retired the slogan should, IMO, lend some credibility to this point. [1] https://truthinadvertising.org/class-action/red-bull/ https://truthinadvertising.org/class-action/red-bull/
Filligree 3y ago
Yes, quite. It's possible that the other ingredients counteract this -- sugar makes me quite sleepy, for one -- but the story sounds a bit odd.