Why vitamins that look like sweets may do you more harm than good

FRUIT-FLAVOURED vitamin gummies aren’t just for children any more — you can now buy versions for grown-ups, too. These chewy vitamins include products that provide just vitamin C or D, and multivitamins to boost your immune system, or even ‘regulate hormonal activity’ in women over 50.

But, as Good Health has found, these products can be packed with sugar and contain lower levels of nutrients than vitamin tablets. Nor are they cheap.

All the products we looked at listed a form of sugar as the first ingredient.

In many cases there was more than one type of sugar — for example in Bioglan Men’s VitaGummies (60 soft gummies, €13.99) the first ingredient is glucose syrup and the second is sucrose; Boots Multivitamin gummies (30 gummies, €4.99) contain these sugars — plus the sweetener sorbitol.

Some brands have a teaspoon of sugar in a daily serving — Nature’s Way Alive! Women’s 50+ gummy vitamins (75 gummies, €10.45) contain 4g sugar in three gummies.

‘The biggest issue with taking these vitamins is inadvertently increasing your sugar intake,’ says Harry McArdle, a professor of biomedical sciences.

And using sweeteners may not make them any more virtuous, he adds.

‘There is evidence that sweeteners can increase appetite. It’s not entirely clear how but one theory is that they interfere with appetite sensors in the brain.’

There is also the effect these ‘sweets’ can have on dental health, particularly as they will stick to teeth, adds registered dietician Anna Daniels.

She says: ‘Because they look like sweets, people can easily eat more than they should, which raises a number of health issues.’

For example, when taken in excess certain sweeteners such as sorbitol, mannitol and maltitol can cause gastrointestinal problems.

‘The compounds are incompletely absorbed in the small intestine and travel to the large intestine where they are fermented by bacteria — releasing gas,’ explains Peter Whorwell, a professor in medicine and gastroenterology.

‘It always surprises me how sensitive some people are and reactions can occur after just a few sweets in those who are sensitive and are more likely in people with irritable bowel syndrome. It causes diarrhoea, bloating and discomfort.’

And what happens if you tuck into more than the recommended daily dose of vitamins simply because gummies are so like sweets?

While there’s no significant risk for overdosing on water-soluble vitamins (including vitamin C and B) as these are removed in urine, fat-soluble vitamins (including vitamins A, D, E and K) are potentially toxic in large doses as these cannot be removed easily from the body.

They can build up in certain tissues and may cause eye and liver problems or a loss of bone density, warns dietician Clare Thornton-Wood.

However, you’d have to eat quite a few to get these adverse effects. For example, Centrum MultiGummies (30 gummies, €8.49) provide 660mcg of vitamin A in two gummies — more than 80% of our recommended daily level. The maximum advised is 1.5mg a day.

The major appeal of gummy vitamins is the simplicity of getting these nutrients — but you may be short-changed if you rely on them or simply switch from what looks like the same product in tablet form, as many of the gummies contain fewer nutrients.

For example, Boots Multivitamin gummies provide ten nutrients (including vitamins A, D, E, C, B6 and folic acid); while the Boots multivitamins (30 capsules, €4.49) provide 23. The capsules also contain bifidobacteria, a ‘good’ bacterium that boosts gut health.

Similarly, Centrum MultiGummies provide ten nutrients, whereas the Centrum multivitamins for men and women each provide 24.

In many cases the dose for nutrients is higher in the tablets than the gummies. Why gummies contain fewer nutrients is unclear. It may be due to the cost of formulating the chewy sweet or an issue with taste, suggests Clare Thornton-Wood, as certain nutrients including iron have a taste that’s hard to disguise.

However, experts agree a healthy diet is better than supplements in any form.

‘For those reluctant to take pills, a gummy vitamin seems like a great option as people think they are getting the best of both worlds — something sweet that’s healthy,’ says Jane Ogden, a professor in health psychology.

‘But in time this is harmful as it legitimises not eating properly and people stop making an effort to get these nutrients from a healthy, varied diet.’

And that means you’d miss out on the myriad benefits in real foods.