![A rainbow of flavors. [Credit: Glaceau Vitamin Water]](http://scienceline.org/_s/files/2007/11/downloadblog.jpeg)
Let’s face it – water is so dull. But vitaminwater, with its kaleidoscopic pinks, peaches and violets, is like Vegas in a bottle! Vitaminwater’s shimmering hues even seduced rapper 50 Cent, the inspiration for amethyst-tinged Formula 50. But aside from using star power and flashy colors, vitaminwater’s parent company, Glaceau (owned by Coca-Cola), markets the drink by emphasizing its nutritional value. Is there any science behind the marketing though?
A vitamin-fortified drink may sound like a swell idea, but there are two caveats to keep in mind. First, most Americans aren’t vitamin-deficient, according to Marion Nestle, a nutrition professor at New York University. A government survey in 1999 showed that the median American adult man or woman already consumes more than the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of vitamins thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6 and B12, and three-quarters of the RDA of vitamins C, B9 and A (including carotenes). In fact, vitamin E is the only surveyed vitamin Americans consume at less than half of the RDA – but it’s found in only a third of vitaminwater drinks.
If you want to drink your additional vitamin E, there’s a second caveat: your body may not absorb it. To understand why, it’s important to know that vitamins can be divided into two groups: water-soluble and fat-soluble. Vitamin C and the B complex group are water-soluble and can easily enter the bloodstream with water. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble. That means they can only enter the bloodstream to carry out their functions if they are dissolved in dietary fat, like that found in a meal. An Italian study published by the American Heart Association in 2001 showed that subjects who took vitamin E for two weeks on an empty stomach increased their vitamin E concentration in blood little or not at all, compared to an 84 percent increase in subjects who took the vitamin E supplement during dinner. So unless you prefer vitaminwater to wine with your meal, vitamins A and E will pass largely unused into your city’s septic system.
Even if you were to absorb all the vitamins, vitaminwater might have trouble living up to its image as a salubrious alternative to sugary soft drinks: Each bottle of vitaminwater contains 32.5 grams, or two heaping tablespoons, of crystalline fructose. Fructose is a simple sugar that sweetens many fruits, although the crystalline fructose in vitaminwater is produced from cornstarch, not fruit, by crystallizing the fructose in fructose-enriched corn syrups. As one would expect, nobody needs these extra sugars, according to Nestle, the NYU nutritionist. One research team has even indicated that the intense sweetness of sugary drinks may be addictive.
“The way that vitaminwater is marketed and positioned it’s made to look more healthful than other sugary beverages, but it’s not – it’s still just a soft drink,” said Margo G. Wootan, Director of Nutrition Policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “It has this aura of healthfulness that is not deserved. Adding vitamins and minerals to junk food doesn’t make it healthy.”
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:37 pm
While I agree with Wootan’s claim that “adding vitamins and minerals to junk food doesn’t make it healthy,” I believe there’s another aspect to the discussion around vitaminwater worth considering. The full line of vitaminwater flavors contain around 13 grams of sugar per 8 oz. serving; your average can of soda contains more than twice that amount. The cornstarch-derived fructose found in Glaceau’s products may not be ultimately any better for you than the pure corn syrup used in the parent company’s flagship soda, but the fact that you’re getting less than half the dose in a full bottle of vitaminwater makes choosing between the two a little easier, don’t you think? Sure, filtered water is always the healthiest option, but as far as soft drinks go, I believe there are degrees of unhealthfulness…
December 3rd, 2007 at 2:02 pm
complimenti, articolo molto utile e ben informato.
December 4th, 2007 at 10:24 am
Another thing to keep in mind that is not mentioned in the article is the amount of calories in a bottle of Vitamin Water. At 50 calories per serving, a standard 20 oz. bottle (2.5 servings) weights in at 125 calories. Not much better than the calories in a can of regular soda!
December 11th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
I work for a small company called owater, which we started because we were looking for a water beverage that wasn’t loaded with fake sweeteners, fructose and artificial coloring — something refreshing like water, purposeful like a sports drink, but still healthy. We couldn’t find one, so we started making it. owater is just water, electrolytes and natural fruit essence.
I continue to be amazed at the number of vitamin water-like products that we compete with on the shelves: products positioned to be healthier, more functional choices when the reality is they are high in calories and loaded with sugar and other junk. AT’s comment is interesting: I don’t think people are aware of how much sugar, calories and other junk they are drinking in some beverages, which I think is unfortunate for a population facing epidemics of obesity and diabetes.
January 8th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
i love vitamin water and the energy drinks.
i heard that they give you cancer….
not promising that i know they do… but i dont think they do.
i like the fact that you can have a drink that has vitamins and not just plain… and plus it has lots of taste that is delicious
January 8th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
AT, thats very misleading. You’re comparing a 20 bottle of water to a 12 ounce can of soda. If you do the proper comparison, you’ll find that the vitamin water is exactly half the calories of soda…125 calories for the water vs. 250 calories for the soda. Was that on purpose?
January 24th, 2008 at 12:17 am
Well the point of the matter is that - vitamin water is a great subsistute for soda, sugar/caffine/energy drink NOT water.
January 30th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
One people seem to continue to over look when dogging on how many calories there in these water is that there are a lot of athletes whos goal in to maintain their wieght and sometimes even as body mass. I do a lot of cardio in my workout and burn more calories than i would like to sometimes so having the extra calories i easily burn away in a work is actually really great.
they do also taste great so having that as apposed to a soda is better that just water.
January 30th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Vitamin water still will never be able to measure up to just swallowing a real vitamin with a nice cold glass of water.
And as for myself, I’d rather spend the calories on a Coke than on this nastywatered down stuff.
February 4th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
is vitamin really healthy i say its not and my sister says it is
February 7th, 2008 at 10:27 am
okay, okay.. ,my kids are suddenly freaking out because they heard in school that Vitamin water gives you cancer! What is up with that?? No one knows what causes cancer, but now they aren’t drinking vit water and have gone back to juice!! I prefer them drinking vit water. Anyone shed some light on this sudden burst of info that is flooding the school. Thanks
February 11th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
I’ve been checking the ingredients of every Vitamin Water mixture, and all of them have 13g of sugar(a couple of them only have 8g of sugar), which contradicts this articles figures of 34g per bottle. Has Vitamin Water decreased their sugar content recently?
February 11th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
me encante vitamin water!!!
February 11th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Hi Diego,
It should be 13g of sugar per serving, and there are 2.5 servings per bottle. That’s where the number 32.5 grams comes from.
Thanks for reading!
Best
Christopher
February 12th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Bella la frase “is like Vegas in a bottle!” che hai usato!Hai ragione ,spesso secondo me le vitamine contenute in quei “minestroni” colorati sono una grande cavolata, meglio i metodi sani (es. una spremuta di arancia e tanta verdura!)
February 12th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Imagine if someone figured out how to add vitamins to water without making it taste so horrible that they had to add all that sugar…
February 13th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
My major beef is that the word “water” is in the name of the product. Once it has been saturated with high-fructose corn syrup, it is no longer “water”, it is “sugar water”.
BTW, the best drinking water in the world comes right out of the taps of our major cities. I know firsthand that the water of Baltimore and Philadelphia is excellent. That Americans buy so much of their drinking water in bottles is a testament to redundancy and waste.
Having drinkable water come out of the taps is a luxury more than half of the world population can only dream about having, and yet we take it for granted.
February 14th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
GC, I think you’re the one who’s being misleading here! I don’t know about you, but I have yet to see someone who is drinking only 8 oz of a Vitamin Water bottle (about 1/3rd of the bottle). Judging from the postings here, most people are not doing the math that shows that each bottle (what most people are assuming is a single serving) contains a lot more of the calories and sugar than the label specifies. All I’m saying is that from a caloric standpoint, 1 bottle of Vitamin Water is not much better than 1 can of soda.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
@AT - But no one drinks a can of soda anymore, they drink 20oz bottles.
Despite the fact that a bottle of vitamin water has a lot of empty calories in it, I would still rather drink it than a bottle of soda. I am curious, however, how crystaline fructose compares health-wise to sweeteners used in soda.
MrE
February 16th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Also, I would rather drink a vitamin water with vitamin B and sugar than an energy drink or a soda for a pick-me-up.
February 18th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Concerning the cancer stuff…
I heard that it’s because Vitamin water contains gluecene, which is a vitamin substrate that is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer.
I don’t know how much gluecene one would have to consume for the risk to be significantly elevated, so I would take that with a grain of salt. On the other hand, I wouldn’t exclusively drink Vitamin water for the rest of my life.
February 23rd, 2008 at 6:15 pm
its deffinatly healthier because water doesnt have all the vitamins that vitamin water has. adn the commercial that compares water and viatmin water is an idiot because you can tell by teh color that it isnt pure water. just think about it. and your body needs sugar and vitamins and everythinggg.
February 26th, 2008 at 1:32 am
50 cent has made millions off of this drink which actually should be called “Cancer Sugar Water”, the Rich get richer from the ignorance of others,
Keep making them rich \\\\\\\\\\\\\
February 28th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Has anyone else noticed that it contains Crystalline Fructose which broken down is:Arsenic, Chloride,Glucose,Heavy metals (as Pb)
Hydroxymethylfurfural,Lead…Has anyone else gotten stomach aches after drinking this stuff? I have and have also read about others who have also had stomach aches from this.
February 28th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Has anyone stopped using thier cell phones due to cancer rumors? I believe just about anything we touch these days can give you cancer…. It’s amazing that the human race didn’t die off eons ago when we just took and ate, drank, and used whatever we could get our hands on… Amazing that we fumbled along this long, until we had all of this (in my opinion) apparently frivolous science telling us to sit in a padded room quietly with our hands folded… I believe there are even cases of eboli and parasites through tap water! Imagine the HORROR if we all started drinking that too! Come on people… get realistic. a water based product with some additives is not going to kill you… That budweiser and Marlboro Red at 8 am will kill you.
February 28th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Why cant these companies just use good ole plain sugar to sweeten drinks? i mean, why put all these strange chemicals into our bods, when what we want is a sweet taste, just use SUGAR!!!
March 2nd, 2008 at 5:05 pm
VITAMIN WATER IS THE BEST DRINK EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SODA IS BETTER BUT THIS STUFF IS GOOD AND GOOD FOR U ILOVE VITAMIN WATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 3rd, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Love Vitamin Water!
I drink the “Energy” and “Charge” variants.
I think they’re better than drinking coffee, monster, red bull, amp’d, or any other jittery energy drinks…
Don’t hate on Vitamin Water when there are a lot more worse drinks out there.
March 7th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
I love it! Glaceau Vitamin Water is the only water I drink. It is totally awesome!
March 7th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
I just love Alex , my girlfriend! I love her more than vitamin water!
March 10th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
ok people, it really only is a drink. just a drink. if you don’t like it, don’t buy it. simple as that and every drink does have additives, so its not really a surprise here. And I agree with what DCwhat says, pretty much everything can give you cancer now a days… so if you fear it, don’t drink it.
BTW: VITAMIN WATER FLIPPEN RULES! :D
March 11th, 2008 at 9:21 am
Okay, Uh this is why i hate old ppl…yeah i’m only 15…so what?? anyways ppl always get their panties ina bunch over crap that doesn’t really matter. I LOVE vitaminwater, it DOESN’T taste like watered down anything, and a 20 oz can of pop has more clories than 125..besides vitmainwater is NOT a diet drink!! so who freakin cares how many calories,how much surgar or whatever else old ppl don’t get enough of and that’s why you’re all old hags and farts!! so if you’re a wussy and are afraid to drink vitaminwater, go smoke another ciggarette, and don’t buy it. simple as that….DUH
GO VITAMIN WATER!!!
Don’t hate cuz YOU aren’t the ones making millions off of it…lay off the hatorade ppl!!
March 13th, 2008 at 11:46 am
u wuld have 2 do 320 push-ups or sit-ups to burn off one bottle of VITAMIN WATER
March 15th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
i absolutly love vw.
i drink it almost every day.
and i do not believe that it give you cancer.
GOO VIT WATERR!!!
March 17th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Vitamin Water is good.
Gatorade is bad.
zombies…
gotta shot em in the head
March 17th, 2008 at 10:15 am
pst that zobies kid is a homosexual
March 17th, 2008 at 10:16 am
atleast im not a bunn
March 17th, 2008 at 10:18 am
Bunn>icheniechichechienchhich
March 17th, 2008 at 10:18 am
you play WoW get a life and stop getting off topic, this is about that Vitamin Water. and how apparently its bad for you.
March 17th, 2008 at 10:19 am
Ur Vitamen water
March 17th, 2008 at 10:19 am
punch
March 18th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Shut up Ineich.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Vitamin water GAVE ME CANCER!
March 21st, 2008 at 2:47 am
Crystalline fructose is a better sugar than corn syrup because it’s more complex, and thus takes longer for your body to break down. As opposed to spiking and then crashing your blood sugar, it provides sustained energy.
Comparing vitamin water to soda is like comparing an apple to a chocolate bar.
Furthermore, ALL vitamin water products contain electrolytes. Until my city starts adding electrolytes to my drinking water, I think I’ll stick with vitamin water to keep me hydrated.
March 22nd, 2008 at 12:24 am
Well, lets get on the Vitamin Water….i like it i thought that it was healty but as i read all of this internet and heard this news crap i will have to stop buying them like i used to i am sorry that 50 cent iut losing his money but hey u cant have us americans dieing cause u r makin unhealty drinks…..but hey those of u addicts like me..i guess we will have to stop…..LOL
♥Taliyah!!
March 22nd, 2008 at 5:12 pm
I’m just to going to add my two personal cents on this subject:
-I will not drink anything with artificial sweetners.
-I need to drink more water, but I’m not perfect, so I switch between a) regular water b)EmergenCs packet c) Vitamin Water, usually with meals
- Yes, I like the water-downed taste of Vitamin Water. In fact, that’s how I describe it to friends who haven’t tried it yet.
- 125 calories, no big deal. I don’t drink soda or Vitamin Water more than once a day, so I’m not going to fret about 125 little calories.
Finally….Vitamin Water does sell a lower calorie version if your counting, still no sweetner, but less taste of course. Haven’t seen it at many stores though.
….and now I’m thirsty.
March 23rd, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Fruit juice is still a better alternative over anything else.
there’s no worry about water soluble vitamins, your body can secrete it off urine if you have excess amounts.
practically all the vitamins you need you get it off fruits and veggies anyways. But if you want to be sure, then it might help drinking vitamin water to complement all the vitamins your body is lacking. (perhaps)
on artificial sweeteners, so many posts and most are still inconclusive, like cellphones, you decide.
your lifestyle still dictates your health. Exercise (even walks, which is vital) does play a key major role.
On calories - Calories varies amongst different individuals, your lifestyle and body dictates how much you need.
March 26th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
sheesh freak out people! i drink vitamin water because it tastes good and is refreshing when you want a little flavor. i like it better than pop because it has less calories and im not on a diet so i don’t care about the 125 calories. So what, there are people out there who are shocked when they find out that it really has 125 calories, its not a big deal. if you don’t like the idea of sugar and calories, don’t drink it. its as easy as that.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:01 am
I used to drink soda every day, sometimes multiple large cups a day… until recently when I have become more aware of what I am putting into my body. I tried Vitamin Water a while back, (while I was basically addicted to soda) and I thought it tasted like watered down crap. After slowing myself down on the soda consumption I have become discusted by the pure sweetness to the point where I cant drink most sodas. I decided to give Vitamin Water a try again and now I love it… it doesnt taste watered down at all. In fact, it’s almost sweeter than I would like it to be. What I am getting at is all you people who say Vitamin Water tastes too watered down, its only because you are so accustomed to the pure sweetness of the corn-syrup that is in the beverages that you drink so often and have come to expect every beverage to be like.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:40 pm
vitamin water is gggreat.
sure its not the healthiest but nothing is these days.
Yes it is very vitamin filled.
the vitamins are absorbed better and faster then aner og y other flavored wat
April 2nd, 2008 at 6:33 pm
I love Vit Water. My favorite is all of them! Who cares about all of the rumors? after all they are JUST rumors. Vit water is yummy. im tired of soda. it is way too sugary. so is the diet. Yuk! To all you haterz… go eat sum McDonalds. you know you want sum. Peace out 916 love!!
April 6th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Alright people…keep your eyes open for Basix. The first REAL vitamin enriched WATER. Water and vitamins that’s it. Zero calories, zero carbs, zero sugar and 50% of your RDI in 6 complex B vitamins. Did I mention it tastes like water? Enough said.
April 7th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
I tell you one thing. “Revive” Vitamin water is good for a hangover.
April 9th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
who gives a crap
its a drink
with vitamins
would you rather drink water with no flavor or water with flavor and vitamins and some calories?
125 calories isnt a lot, it can easily be part of two meals since its not that small..
April 11th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
It’s a drink thats taste great and a great alternative to many drinks out there. I drink maybe one a day and if they would come down on the price or make 12,20, etc. packs.. I’d buy them over the 12 packs of sierra mist in my fridge =D.
April 15th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
To the person who does all that cardio. Basic sugars are realy never good for you get your calories somewhere else even if your burning them off.
April 16th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
I didn’t read through all the responses, so forgive me if this has already been mentioned, but vitamin water is made with distilled water. Distilled water will actually soak up vitamins and minerals as it travels through the system. Essentially, vitamin water takes more vitamins than it gives, AND robs you of minerals.
They should have made it with mineral water instead.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
I got a 20 pack at Costco for around $16. So $0.80 per bottle…not bad
April 29th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
There is only one flavor of vitaminwater I’ve grown to love, and that’s formula 50.
I do find Vitaminwater just a bit too sweet for my own liking, but I’ve found a potion. I take an empty vitaminwater bottle, fill it to about 1/2 and then replace the other 1/2 of the bottle with plain water.
I still get the great taste, but I’m cutting the sugar in 1/2, and one bottle last me two to three days by splitting it down.
April 30th, 2008 at 3:31 am
I laugh at people who want to put Vitamin Water down. People really like to target it for being a “waste of money” because people think everyone is a yuppie who thinks they are getting some new age rainforest seeds in their drink. This is just marketing, it doesn’t mean we buy into it. I mean, does anyone actually think Wendy’s is waaaaay better than fastfood? No. It IS fastfood. But I still like it.
Here’s a newsflash: People drink it for the taste. I drink everything I like for the taste, and fortunately I hate the taste of pop (soda). I absolutely can’t stand most beverages sold here in the US because almost everything you get at a restaurant or machine is pop! Ironically people say vitamin water is “watered down”, but to me it tastes just right, instead, most other drinks taste “sugared up”.
Outside of the the taste, it IS “healthy”, at least for what most people value. I laugh at people who bring up calories, almost any other beverage you purchase will have just as many calories as vitamin water, if not more! The only ones that don’t are obviously water, and other really bad fake sugar type drinks.
Just for some proof, here, my favorite drinks all in front of me… Vitamin water, 2% Milk and, Lemonade. The standard serving below is 8oz or 240ml, why you would compare unequal servings is beyond me… anyways…
VW
Calories - 50
Fat - 0g
Sugars - 13g
Lemonade
Calories - 120
Fat - 0g
Sugars - 28g
2% Milk
Calories - 130
Fat - 5g
Sugars - 12g
Oh, and here’s coke
Coke
Calories - 97
Fat - 0g
Sugars - 26g
Interesting, the all-mighty and healthy milk that had quite the ad-campaign back when has the most calories! I certainly don’t care, I need them, but people are afraid of the calories in pop when they will drink milk? Hmm. Oh and my favorite, people who say fruit drinks are the healthiest. Anyone who has looked a label on a fruit drink can tell you that they defeat even soft drinks in the sugar category. Interesting how the Lemonade beats even Coke! Unless we’re talking squeezed straight from the fruit which is completely unrealistic.
So Vitamin water is looking the best even without the mention of vitamins… which there most definitely are. And trying to argue that vitamins are bad for you is just silly.
Moral of the story: drink what tastes good, unless you’re fat because you overeat, then have fun with only water to drink.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:49 am
Im still confused after reading all this stuff.
I just want to know. Does your body get the vitamins in the drink or not? If yes, then wich flavor best suits someone?
May 8th, 2008 at 8:43 am
you guys are all idiots if you like it drink it, if you dont then jus stfu and quit hating and tryin to find something wrong with an amazing drink. If its good enough for LeBron James it good enough for me.
May 11th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Vitamin Water is the best vitamin enhanced beverage. I like it better than pop, and I am ten. Don’t be a hater.
May 13th, 2008 at 1:29 am
Common sense dictates, read the label. If you don’t like what you see there, then don’t drink it. I personally have no issues with it. It tastes good, isn’t carbonated, I don’t mind processed sugar in it. Of all things, if it will make me hungry…awesome! Granted I haven’t had an increase in appetite at all. Although if you’re looking to lose weight, sorry, but straight water for you. And some rigorous exercise.
No one should really be surprised it has calories, anything that is more than just plain water will have calories. Sad fact of life. Quite honestly, you shouldn’t depend on a single drink product for all of your vitamin needs. I drink vitamin water, but also a multi-vitamin during a meal. Not to mention a (for the most part)balanced diet of the various food groups will keep your body in better condition.
Be more aware of what YOUR body needs and eat/drink accordingly. No one is the same, but no one drink will help you solve all your nutritional needs.