Vitamin Water: Good, bad, or ugly?
(Part 3: The Ugly)

• On the label of "multi-v" vitamin water (icon on the right) we read that this is an "all-in-one product containing more of the nutrients you need".
  
  Wait a minute, what about those missing vitamins: D, B1, B2, B7? (Read about this in Part 2: The Bad).
  Don't we need them on a daily basis any longer?
  
  What about minerals like iodine, selenium, copper, and others which are not included in "multi-v"?
  What about the fact that, except vitamin C, a bottle of "multi-v" contains only about 62% of all other vitamins presented there?
  
  My opinion: This drink cannot be called "all-in-one", containing "more of the nutrients you need".
  
  Silly me, I am reading bottle labels, and think that they should talk about what is actually inside the bottle...

• Continuing with the same theme.
  
  Several products ("defense", "focus", "multi-v") have the following slogan on their labels:
  "vitamin + water = all you need".
  
  Hmm... What does vitamin + water make?.. I think, vitaminwater, right? So, Vitaminwater is all you need, right?..
  
  We know already this is wrong - see the previous bullet.

• On the Glaceau website we read the following question in the FAQ section, there is a question: "Is there a limit to the amount of Vitaminwater I can consume in a day?"
  And the answer is: "It is virtually impossible to drink too much Vitaminwater. Vitaminwater carefully formulated to deliver functionality safely. the risk is that drinking vitaminwater can be habit forming and it's a very difficult addiction to break!" This is the complete answer.
  
  First, I hoped that they were just joking about the addiction.
  Second, it looks like a responsible answer would have something more. What about those 32.5 grams of sugar and 125 calories per bottle? On the Coca Cola website, for example, we can find the following statement: "Remember that some beverages contain calories that count toward your daily caloric intake." This is a responsible approach.
  
  I would suggest Coca Cola (now a parent company of Glaceau) review vitamin water marketing materials, to make them more trustworthy.

• You probably saw a statement on each dietary supplement product that said that the claims made about this product were not verified by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). This is because most of dietary supplements marketing materials talk about health benefits. There might also be statements that a particular supplement is not intended to prevent or cure any disease, or something like that.

  The reason for these warnings is to distinguish dietary supplements from medications, and to let customers know about this.

  Vitamin water is not a medicine.
  It is not a dietary supplement either.
  It is a soft drink, and soft drinks usually do not have any health related claims on labels... But vitamin water does!

  • "this combination of zinc and fortifying vitamins can help...keep you healthy" (label of "defense" vitamin water)
  • "it's got potassium and b vitamins to help you recover and feel refreshed" (label of "revive" drink)
  • "vitaminwater power-c is specially formulated with nutrients that enable the body to exert physical power by contributing to structural integrity of the musculoskeletal system, and by supporting optimal generation and utilization of energy from food." (Glaceau website)
  • "vitaminwater balance is specially formulated with bioactive components that contribute to an active lifestyle by promoting healthy, pain-free functioning of joints, structural integrity of joints and bones, and optimal generation and utilization of energy from food." (Glaceau website)
  • "vitaminwater rescue is specially formulated to support optimal metabolic function with antioxidants that may reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and vitamins necessary for the generation and utilization of energy from food." (Glaceau website)

  Vitamin water is being camouflaged as a dietary supplement - without any warnings which any dietary supplement must have!
  Great marketing move, no doubt.

  I suppose Glaceau marketers know what they do, but maybe they have just been lucky that no one has sued them so far.

Let's summarize:

• Vitamin water is a novel, sophisticated, tasty soft drink, with no artificial colors and preservatives.

• It does not replace multivitamin and mineral supplements, as it does not contain all necessary vitamins and minerals.

• It contains substantial amount of sugars, which you should consider while drinking it.

• It is disguised as a dietary supplement with health related claims - but it is not a supplement - it is a soft drink

• I like Glaceau vitamin water! ...but I question some statements made by its manufacturers.

P.S. In Introduction, I wrote that there was a time when I was taking multivitamin tablets, but I don't do that anymore. You can see why on this page.


Back from Vitamin Water: The Ugly page to Home page