Vitamin Gummy Bears: Are They Really Worth It?

Vitamin gummy bears are trendy: they are supposed to provide children and adults with important nutrients and taste good at the same time. However, the special fruit gums are not cheap. Does their effect justify the high prices?

There is now a wide range of vitamin gummy bears: depending on the product, they are aimed at children or adults, are said to be able to remedy nutrient deficiencies and strengthen bones, muscles or the immune system. They contain, for example, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C or vitamin D. Beauty influencers also like to praise the vitamin gums as a miracle cure for healthy skin, hair or nails; WDR, for example, reports on this in its “Servicezeit” format.

However, most vitamin gummy bears are comparatively expensive: It is not uncommon for a 150-gram pack to cost between 20 and 30 euros. Consumers quickly ask themselves whether such prices are justified – and how healthy the products actually are.

Vitamin gummy bears: That’s what nutrition experts say

So far there have been hardly any scientific studies on the effects of vitamin gummy bears. However, many nutrition experts and consumer advocates consider them a rather questionable product for various reasons.

Angela Clausen from the consumer advice center in North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, is skeptical about vitamin gums. In her opinion, the fact that they are presented as sweets blurs the boundaries between dietary supplements and enjoyment: dietary supplements would be normalized in this way, says Clausen in the “Servicezeit” program.

A look at the dosage of the ingredients shows why this can be problematic. According to WDR, many vitamin gummy bears are overdosed. This becomes clear using the example of vitamin D: The daily dose for healthy adults recommended by the German Society for Nutrition (DGfE) is 20 micrograms. Even a vitamin D bear from the “Bears with Benefits” brand significantly exceeds this value. This can be dangerous, because too much vitamin D stored in the body puts a strain on the liver and kidneys, according to Clausen. The RKI also warns of a “creeping” overdose with the vitamin, which can lead to serious health consequences.

Such a gradual process is favored by the enjoyable character of the vitamin gummy bears: the sweet taste in particular easily tempts children to eat more than the recommended amount, which the consumer advice center in Saxony also criticizes. Even more than with adults, care should be taken that they do not exceed the maximum daily dose of vitamins and other nutrients. The Institute for Risk Assessment, for example, makes useful recommendations.

Are vitamin gummy bears worth the price?

However, an overdose of vitamins is not always dangerous: Excess vitamin C, for example, is simply excreted by the body without being used. Anyone who already covers their daily vitamin C requirement with a balanced diet and still eats vitamin C gummy bears may only produce “very expensive urine”, concludes Angela Clausen. She doesn’t think the high prices are justified, the raw materials are much cheaper than the end product. Higher costs are probably more likely to be caused by the time-consuming marketing of the products.

And last but not least, vitamin gummy bears often contain a lot of sugar in addition to the worryingly high doses of supplements: there can be up to 50 grams in 100 grams of vitamin gummy bears. However, the products are still marketed as healthy vitamin donors. The consumer advice center in Saxony describes this as “annoying”, especially in the case of vitamin gummy bears for children: children would internalize that their vitamin requirements could simply be covered with a quick reach for sweets instead of fruit, vegetables and a balanced diet.

Bottom Line: Supplements are not candy

Despite the problems associated with dietary supplements, in many cases they can be quite helpful and useful. For example, people who eat a vegan diet must ensure they have an adequate supply of vitamin B12, which they cannot cover with a purely plant-based diet.

Vitamin gummy bears can also have a positive effect under the right circumstances: A study by the University of Hohenheim showed in 2004 that patients with cystic fibrosis were better able to cover their vitamin deficiency with special preparations in the form of gummy bears than with conventional food supplements. Your body was able to absorb the vitamins from the gummy bears more efficiently. However, these were not commercially available vitamin gummy bears, but products specially developed by a nutritionist as part of the study.

For healthy adults and children, on the other hand, a balanced diet is the most natural way to cover their daily vitamin needs. Whether in the form of gummy bears or tablets: Dietary supplements should only be an option if there is an actual deficiency. You can also make healthy sweets yourself.

Read more on Techzle.com:

• Vitamin B-12 Overdose: Symptoms and Side Effects
• Vitamin B in food: It is contained here
• Vitamin water: is it worth buying for health?