We love sugar, and we love it, even more, when we pretend eating it is in the name of health. Companies manufacturing such products argue that since a surplus of vitamins and supplements are being delivered the foodstuff must be palatable. In the modern world, sweetness dominates.
Forget foods for a moment. Vitamin manufacturers realized that a trick used to lure children into taking their daily dosage works equally well with adults. Gummy vitamins now bring in $1 billion dollars in sales in the $41 billion supplements industry. But are they really healthy?
There are certainly good reasons for taking vitamins if you are deficient. Supplements might give you a cognitive boost or help curb arthritis and inflammation. Since evidence is often anecdotal and unverified (since there’s no need for verification) it’s hard to pass through the vitamin aisle and be confident in your purchase. Unfortunately for consumers, this confusion is a lucrative part of the supplement industry.
For most of history, we received vitamins and minerals from eating a balanced diet. This should still be the case, especially given the wide variety of fresh foods we can purchase at any time of year. Persistent sweet teeth and cultural aversions have made many shy away from nutrient-dense foods like organ meats and bitter greens.
One critic of gummy vitamins points out the more fillers used to create little bears, the less space exists for active ingredients. Gummies might combat pill fatigue, but first, we have to ask if these vitamins are necessary, and second if the high dosage of sugar is worth any potential benefits.