Vitamin waters found to offer negligible nutritional benefit

Despite making grand claims about immune support, antioxidant properties and the like, researchers have found that the benefit to be gained from vitamin waters and energy drinks is negligible.

A Canadian study has found that the extensive micronutrient additions in novel beverages such as vitamin waters, energy drinks and novel juices are at levels often well in excess of nutrient requirements. The most commonly found nutrients were vitamins B6, B12, C and niacin. The researchers say that, with the exception of vitamin C, young Canadian adults - the target group for these products - are already consuming enough of these nutrients to meet their needs.

“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 Naomi Dachner, a researcher in nutritional science at the University of Toronto.

“Most of the nutrients permitted for addition are allowable at levels well above nutrient requirements, and the new [Canadian] guidance is not designed to steer manufacturers towards the addition of nutrients that would address existing nutrient inadequacies in the population.”

The researchers say the study raises questions about which 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.

The study was published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism.