A Question of Vitamins in Your “Vitamin Water”

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I was recently asked if vitamin waters were good for a person who was working out, or if they were alright (health wise) as a supplemental source of vitamins.

Well, there are a few different schools of thought on this matter. The FDA, for instance, has compiled a list of and recommended dosages for the vitamins and minerals that they have tested to be essential for general good health. But research has pointed out substantial gaps in the FDA’s essential nutrient list: Lycopene, selenium, and chromium, are but a few substances that have been shown to produce beneficial results in stopping oxidation and maintaining a healthy metabolism, but have yet to be added to the FDA’s list with a recommended daily allowance.

It appears that most health conscious people have subscribed to the view that the FDA is either bogged down in red-tape or beholden to the drug industry to such an extent that the health benefits of certain substances are either intentionally downplayed, or through bureaucracy the research is delayed. In response, some health conscious people have turned to research showing the health benefits of certain substances or practices that run counter to those proposed by the FDA. However, one must ask one’s self what are the interests of the researcher. For instance, an experiment funded by a multi-million dollar nutritional supplement company could be skewed in the light most favorable to the efficacy of their supplement (the same problem with drug manufacturers running the research on their own products).

In the end the advice I would dispense regarding vitamin-water is the same advice I would recommend for any supplement: ask your doctor before taking anything other than a balanced diet.

It is possible to overdose on vitamins that collect in the fat. Vitamins of the A and D variety are not water soluble, and so can collect in the fat and become toxic. Additionally, minerals such as iron can become a problem if too much is ingested.

Supplements are not regulated by the FDA, so the motto would be: Caveat Emptor. One does not know with complete certainty, what the ingredient profile is in a supplement that is unregulated. Even regulated medicines can have a sharp variance of concentration per unit or dose. So, always ask your doctor.

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