Vitamin drinks deliver little to no nutrients, study says

Drinks marketed as vitamin water or energy enhancers provide little to no nutrient value, according to new research published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.

The study examined how the language used to describe many of these types of beverages imply the products can provide certain health benefits such as immune support, better cognitive performance or even emotional well-being.

Naomi Dachner, a Nutritional Science researcher at the University of Toronto said nutritional science doesn't back up these claims made by the beverage companies.

"While our findings suggest that consumers stand to reap little or no benefit from the nutrient additions in novel beverages, most products were being marketed as if they provided a unique benefit to the consumer through the nutrient additions." said Dachner.

High Nutrients, No Benefits

The study found that vitamin or energy drinks also tend to include an excessive amount of vitamins or minerals - like B12, C and niacin - that go beyond basic nutritional requirements.

For diabetics, the sugar content in many of these beverages is dangerously high.

In Canada, "novel" beverages are now required to display nutrition fact tables, but researchers said this information is unlikely to help consumers understand whether or not the drinks are nutritionally beneficial in any way.

"The study raises questions about what measures need to be taken to ensure that consumers of novel beverages are not misled or exposed to unnecessarily high nutrient loads with no potential benefit," a press release on the study concluded.

Source: NRC Research Press