by Matt Weik
A few years ago, I had planned to open a gummy supplement brand. I sourced everything out, found a manufacturer that I was planning on working with, and then slammed on the brakes. I don’t know why, but there was something about gummies that peaked my curiosity, yet had me skeptical at the same time. Were gummy vitamins really legit? Are they as good as pill form? I contacted my manufacturer and told him I’d be holding off for the time being and that I would reach out to him if and when I was ready to move forward. Well, I guess it was good that I halted production as tests and research are now showing that gummy vitamins are pretty much junk. Boy, did I just save myself a ton of money!
Too much or too little… Pick your poison.
Do gummies belong in the industry? Sure. Many people choose the route of gummies because they can’t swallow pills easily. However, some gummy vitamin brands on the market coat their gummies with sugar to improve the taste and mask the natural vitamin flavors as well as include various colors to make them look more appealing – not to mention preservatives. Research has shown that obviously sugar isn’t healthy for us, but similarly that colors and dyes used in consumable products also have health risks as well.
What researchers have found is that there are inconsistencies with gummy vitamins on the market. Some brands that were tested had more nutrients in them while others had less. Either way you slice it, this isn’t ideal. In fact, the results from different gummy vitamin brands came back showing that 80 percent of the gummy vitamins did not meet today’s standards of dietary supplements.
When 50 different brands and varieties of vitamins were tested as a whole, some brands had 24 percent fewer nutrients than what the label claimed, and as high as 157 percent more than what the label claimed. 80% of the gummy vitamins tested showed higher than normal levels of vitamin A. They claim that this can be due to inconsistencies during the manufacturing process where nutrients are being sprayed onto the gummy.
Some brands were also missing nutrients altogether according to the test results. One of the brands was missing 10 of the vitamins listed and two other brands were missing nine. Pretty deceptive, right?
It keeps getting worse…
If you look at who many gummy vitamins are marketed to (kids), it raises some concern about if it’s a wise choice. Children aren’t able to swallow many pills due to them being a choking hazard. What is the next best thing? A gummy. However, due to the fact that many gummy vitamins have colors (which are especially bad for kids) and sugar, it would personally be on my no-no list to give to my child.
Studies have shown that certain colors can negatively affect children and that sugar can cause cavities and tooth decay. This is disheartening as many parents are thankful for gummy vitamins in shapes and characters that their children would want to eat. Showing gummy vitamins to be deemed worthless is unfortunate.
Another issue that the study brought up is the fact that vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin. When compared to water-soluble vitamins, fat-soluble vitamins are not as easily digested and get stored in the organs of the body. When too much vitamin A is consumed, it can cause many different health issues and concerns.
Should you buy gummy vitamins?
Our body needs 13 vitamins which need to come from our diet or supplements as our body cannot manufacture them on its own. That being said, if you are trusting your multivitamin, you might be falling short (especially if it’s of the gummy variety).
Are gummy vitamins something you should purchase? I wouldn’t recommend it. However, if it’s the only option you have because you can’t swallow pills, then you really don’t have much of a choice unless you eat a wide variety of foods every day and can get in all of your micronutrients through whole foods alone. Unfortunately, not many people can do this and that’s where supplements come into play.
If you are going to purchase a gummy vitamin, read the label carefully. You can also do some research on the brand you are looking to purchase from. Consumerlab.com has a list of multivitamins that they have tested with all of the results for you to view. I’d highly recommend taking a look at their site to help you choose a vitamin that you won’t be wasting your money on or that won’t potentially cause health issues if it doesn’t meet the label claims.
Source:
Brantley, Kayla. “Gummy Vitamins Do NOT Work and Can Do More Harm than Good.” Daily Mail, 4 Dec. 2017. Web.
