Before you take the supplements, there are a few things you should know – and do.
Gummy natural vitamins for energy have a candy-like flavor, making them more fun to take than tablets or pills. It's no wonder, therefore, that gummy supplements such as Rite multivitamin now account for $1 billion of the $41 billion supplement market in the United States, up more than 25% from 2015, according to research firm IBISWorld. Are they, however, equally effective?
Gummy Vitamins Myrite
According to Zhaoping Li, a professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Clinical Nutrition at the University of California, Los Angeles, there is no proof that one type of vegan gummy vitamin is preferable to another.
People are generally wary of the substances utilized in gummy multivitamin daily boostersx, she noted. Li explained, “Gummy is made of gelatin.” “They frequently contain other ingredients, such as glucose or glucose syrup. They frequently need to use food coloring. To make it stable, there's also citric acid.”
To be fair, she pointed out that vitamin gummies, pills, and tablets are frequently chemically processed, with “inactive” ingredients added to assist mold the vitamin into its desired form. “With pills, we could find out the same concerns... as we have with gummy vitamins,” Li said.
However, there are a few things to keep in mind while you browse the shelves of your local drugstore for the best vitamins. Here are some things to bear in mind concerning gummy supplements and vitamins in general, according to experts.
Be aware of the sugar content of gummy vitamins.
Sugar is commonly used in the production of gummy vitamins. It's one of the reasons they're so delicious, but it's also one of the reasons why some customers are hesitant to hop on board.
According to Bonnie Taub-Dix, a registered dietitian nutritionist and author of Read It Before You Eat It: Taking You From Label to Table, the amount of added sugar in your gummy vitamins is what matters. She used the example of a package of sugar, which comprises 4 grams of sugar.
In comparison, if a gummy multivitamin contained only 3 grams of sugar and delivered all of the vitamins your body required, the low sugar content would not be an issue. Taub-Dix recommended taking a holistic approach to sugar consumption.
According to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines, you should consume less than 10% of your daily calories from added sugars.
“For a 2,000-calorie diet, it's 200 calories or roughly 12 teaspoons,” Taub-Dix said, noting that some people may require more or fewer than 2,000 calories per day, depending on their health and activity level.
Sugar calories can easily pile up, she pointed out, especially if you eat yogurt, cereal, coffee drinks, sauces, and salad dressings. High-sugar diets have been associated with an increased risk of heart attack or stroke, as well as higher blood pressure, weight gain, diabetes, and fatty liver disease.
So, according to Taub-Dix, you wouldn't want to consume a combination of gummy vitamins that are comparable to 16 grams of added sugar, which may amount to 4 teaspoons of sugar just from your vitamins.
Also, keep an eye on your beautiful whites: If left uncontrolled, the compounds that make gummy vitamins taste like candy, according to some dentists, might contribute to poor oral health. (However, simply brushing can help.)
Gummy vitamins, in general, are fine to take, according to Taub-Dix. Simply avoid too much-added sugar in your diet as a whole — including gummy vitamins if you take them — and brush your teeth regularly.
Remember, whether gummy or not, not everyone should take vitamins.
The biggest advantage of gummy vitamins, according to Li and Taub-Dix, is compliance: people are more likely to take them because they taste delicious. However, not everyone needs vitamin supplementation in the first place.
Vitamins are used to correct vitamin deficiencies, which can occur as a result of poor nutrition, disease, a medical condition, or pregnancy. Food may provide you with the vitamins you require, according to Li, and the focus should be on eating a well-balanced diet. (Li recommends filling half of your plate with veggies, a quarter with healthy grains, and a quarter with protein.)
“If you exclusively eat hamburgers and fries [and] despise veggies other than iceberg lettuce,” Li said, “then adding multivitamins to your diet may be beneficial.”
Several people consume more calories than they require, but they still fall short of the recommended nutritional intake for many nutrients. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a low intake of certain nutrients and vitamins, such as calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, and E, can be concerning for adults.
You must also ensure that your children get adequate calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium, and vitamin E if you are a parent.
Elderly people, diabetics, alcoholics, patients who have had weight-loss surgery or a stomach resection, vegetarians, and vegans are among those who have more specialized vitamin requirements.
Are you unsure if you require vitamins? Consult a doctor or a pediatrician (if the vitamins are for your child), who may assist in identifying vitamin deficits and determining whether or not a supplement is required.
Keep in mind, according to Taub-Dix, that some health care providers may cooperate with supplement companies, so you might be able to get a better deal on a comparable product elsewhere.
Before you buy something, read the label.
You'll discover gummy vitamin labels oriented toward specific groups like women or children if you walk down the vitamin aisle at the shop. Others focus on specific health issues like gut health or immune system assistance.
However, even if items are labeled differently, they may have overlapping vitamin components, which could be harmful.
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin. Bile acids, which are bodily secretions that assist absorb fat, aid in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. Unless you have a vitamin A deficit, Li said, consuming a multivitamin, an immune-boosting supplement, and food (such as fish oil, milk, or eggs) that all include vitamin A could be cause for concern. “It can cause liver failure if you take too much vitamin A in total,” Li noted.
B vitamins, on the other hand, are water-soluble vitamins that are rapidly absorbed by the body and are not retained in huge quantities. “If you consume too much, your kidney simply excretes it,” Li explained. To prevent exceeding the Recommended Dietary Allowance, talk to your doctor about your specific needs and diet.
Be aware that some gummy vitamins aren't suitable for vegetarians or vegans.
It's also crucial to look for common allergies on the vitamin label, which are listed under the ingredients. Vegan and vegetarian options are usually included on the label, but it's always a good idea to double-check.
Many gummy vitamin preparations, for example, contain gelatin. According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, it can be made from animal skin, tendons, ligaments, and/or bones. However, agar-agar, which is derived from a type of seaweed and can be used as a gelatin substitute for vegans, is available.
Keep in mind that the FDA isn't in charge of ensuring the safety of vitamins before they're sold to the general public.
Vitamins, including gummies, are classified as "dietary supplements" by the Food and Drug Administration. As a result, gummy vitamins must meet the same safety, production, labeling (and other) regulations as any other nutritional supplement, according to FDA press officer Lindsay Haake.
Dietary supplements, including multivitamins, do not, however, require FDA approval before being supplied to the general public. The FDA is responsible for taking action against any adulterated or misbranded dietary supplement that reaches the market under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. That means it's up to the companies and people who make or sell dietary supplements to make sure they're safe and legal before they sell them.
“Firms can put new dietary supplement items on the market without waiting for FDA approval,” Haake explained. “Companies can frequently bring dietary supplements to market without even contacting the FDA.”
The FDA has the authority to visit dietary supplement facilities to assess their compliance with regulations and, if necessary, take action. According to Haake, this action might include sending warning letters and requesting judicial action to the Department of Justice. If the FDA can show that a product is harmful or has been mislabeled after it has been released, it can be taken off the market.
How do you go about finding a gummy vitamin that is likely to adhere to safety and quality standards? Consider purchasing vitamins from well-known brands such as Rite multivitamin, as they are more consistent in quality and specialists are more knowledgeable about them, according to Li. Over the years, Consumer Reports has evaluated several popular multivitamin brands to guarantee that their claims are true.
Take care not to tell your children that vitamins taste like candy.
The fact that gummy vitamins typically resemble candy and taste like it may encourage a child to consume them. However, this could lead to them taking too many. Keep vitamins out of reach of youngsters, preferably in a locked cabinet, as most vitamin labels state.
“Since youngsters like the sweet flavor, they may take more because they don't know any better,” Li said, adding that parents should supervise their children when they take gummy vitamins and make sure they realize they are not sweets.
Call the free poison helpline at 800-222-1222 if your child consumes more than the suggested amount. “Never tell a youngster that medicine tastes like candy,” says Nemours, a non-profit children's health organization. That goes for gummy vitamins as well.