Beverages Claiming to Have Antioxidants and/or Vitamins:True, False? Good, Bad?

[LostAngeles]

This afternoon, I stopped by the store on my way home intending to get a soda. I drink way too much soda. I know this. It's not good for me or my teeth. So I start looking at the other beverages. I want something with more flavor than water, but Vitaminwater is a bit too light right now. I don't really want a Gatorade, and juice is too heavy. I ended up settling on a bottle of White Tea from Fuze.

According to this bottle, it's got, "polyphenols.., powerful antioxidants that can protect cell membranes and cellular DNA from the damaging effects of free radical induced oxidative damage...," Niacin B3, Vitamin C, apparently 17IU(which is what? everything else is in mg) of Vitamin E, and Vitamin B-complex. Wow.

Now, I'm under the impression that the antioxidant thing isn't total crap. But really, how beneficial is all this stuff for me, the average crap-eating college student? What about Vitaminwater and all that other stuff? I've been buying this stuff because I like how it tastes, but I gotta wonder, do any of these claims really hold up?

[Ron_Tomkins]

This afternoon, I stopped by the store on my way home intending to get a soda. I drink way too much soda. I know this. It's not good for me or my teeth. So I start looking at the other beverages. I want something with more flavor than water, but Vitaminwater is a bit too light right now. I don't really want a Gatorade, and juice is too heavy. I ended up settling on a bottle of White Tea from Fuze.

According to this bottle, it's got, "polyphenols.., powerful antioxidants that can protect cell membranes and cellular DNA from the damaging effects of free radical induced oxidative damage...," Niacin B3, Vitamin C, apparently 17IU(which is what? everything else is in mg) of Vitamin E, and Vitamin B-complex. Wow.

Now, I'm under the impression that the antioxidant thing isn't total crap. But really, how beneficial is all this stuff for me, the average crap-eating college student? What about Vitaminwater and all that other stuff? I've been buying this stuff because I like how it tastes, but I gotta wonder, do any of these claims really hold up?


I would recommend the Lipton tea. Not the one that comes in a plastic bottle. The one that comes in a glass bottle (yes, they are actually quite different and it's not just the bottle itself).

I'm not sure just how truly healthy it really is, but I'm inclined to believe it is.

(Check it out, just in case)
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.smartspot.com/files/products/lipton_tea_unsweetened.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.smartspot.com/about/beverages/other/lipton-original&h=188&w=133&sz=6&hl=es&start=15&tbnid=-9S97BbvnK3NeM:&tbnh=102&tbnw=72&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlipton%2Btea%2Bbottle%26gbv%3D2%26hl% 3Des%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:es-AR:official%26sa%3DG

[Lisa Simpson]

My problem with vitamin-fortified stuff is you can too much of some vitamins (the fat-soluble ones) if you drink vitamin fortified water and eat vitamin fortified energy bars and vitamin fortified breakfast cereal, etc. It all adds up. The jury is still out on whether or not you need any vitamin supplement (except folate for pregnancy and perhaps vitamin D for everyone) unless your diet is seriously deficient for some reason. Vegans, for example may not get enough B12.

[Miss Whiplash]

I can't remember where I read this, but some vitamin fortified drinks lose potency very quickly, so by the time you buy the stuff in the store, it's just an expensive soft drink.

Just an anecdote - I bought this wonderfully expensive vitamin drink at my gym. The ads were playing on the TV screens all through my work out, it was cold, I was thirsty and tired so I thought, "why not?!" It was little more than a $7 can of Red Bull.

A suggestion my doctor gave me years ago because I have a tendency to eat junk food, if your diet is total grab go and you aren't starving, one multi vitamin a couple of times a week is enough.

Edit: 17 IU is 17 International Units. (http://www.onlineconversion.com/faq_02.htm)

[LostAngeles]

I would recommend the Lipton tea. Not the one that comes in a plastic bottle. The one that comes in a glass bottle (yes, they are actually quite different and it's not just the bottle itself).

I'm not sure just how truly healthy it really is, but I'm inclined to believe it is.

(Check it out, just in case)
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.smartspot.com/files/products/lipton_tea_unsweetened.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.smartspot.com/about/beverages/other/lipton-original&h=188&w=133&sz=6&hl=es&start=15&tbnid=-9S97BbvnK3NeM:&tbnh=102&tbnw=72&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlipton%2Btea%2Bbottle%26gbv%3D2%26hl% 3Des%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:es-AR:official%26sa%3DG

I can indeed confirm that those are quite tasty. I love that there's an unsweetened kind out there. (Yes. I'm a freak.)

My problem with vitamin-fortified stuff is you can too much of some vitamins (the fat-soluble ones) if you drink vitamin fortified water and eat vitamin fortified energy bars and vitamin fortified breakfast cereal, etc. It all adds up. The jury is still out on whether or not you need any vitamin supplement (except folate for pregnancy and perhaps vitamin D for everyone) unless your diet is seriously deficient for some reason. Vegans, for example may not get enough B12.

I've heard that you can overdo it. I'm wondering if these things deliver anything at all. Especially since we have Diet Coke Plus now.

I can't remember where I read this, but some vitamin fortified drinks lose potency very quickly, so by the time you buy the stuff in the store, it's just an expensive soft drink.

Just an anecdote - I bought this wonderfully expensive vitamin drink at my gym. The ads were playing on the TV screens all through my work out, it was cold, I was thirsty and tired so I thought, "why not?!" It was little more than a $7 can of Red Bull.

A suggestion my doctor gave me years ago because I have a tendency to eat junk food, if your diet is total grab go and you aren't starving, one multi vitamin a couple of times a week is enough.

Edit: 17 IU is 17 International Units. (http://www.onlineconversion.com/faq_02.htm)

I wouldn't be surprised if they were simply expensive soft drinks. I find Vitaminwater is a tasty, lighter, and less sweet alternative to Gatorade. I'm not really interested in what it's claiming, but I am curious. I do try to supplement my diet with Ensure when I stop eating because of my migraines, myself. That, at least, does have some good stuff in it.

I wonder why they would measure only that one vitamin when Wiki lists Vitamin C as well... huh.

[Brendy]

I am a supporter of fortifying soft drinks and the like with vitamins.

Alot of the younger generations drink very little else. So in short of changing their entire eating habits, you might as well fortify what they are already drinking.

I drink a lot of soda and I don't see me stopping. That evil caffeine and sugar has got me by the balls .

So for people like me, I'd say making it heathier is an essiential part to an overall strategy of trying to lower soda consumption.


As for the free radicals, they are a big reason why our bodies age. However I have no idea if the andioxidents in any of these drinks add up to any significant reduction in their presense or aging. I'd think it would be quite hard to design a real world study that can accurately measure the effect they have on us.

In fact the mere benefit of drinking WATER instead of sugary soda is going totally overpower the benefits of the antioxidents. Sure the soda is fat free, but all that sugar is gonna eventually be stored as fat if not burned off. With the increasingly sedentary lifestyle of the American youth, that's a real problem.

[Brendy]

I do try to supplement my diet with Ensure when I stop eating because of my migraines, myself. That, at least, does have some good stuff in it.



I never want to even think about Ensure ever again. I broke my jaw a few years back while playing baseball. A baseball right to the mouth! Fortunately I had braces at the time which saved all my teeth.

I had to drink Ensure milkshakes for like a month and a half because I couldnt eat solid foods.

Though they weren't bad tasting, after a month and a half of nearly nothing else, I couldn't stand them.

[Pup]

Well, I hate to say it, but there's no easy one-size-fits-all answer. Keep track of what you eat for a few typical days, add up the vitamins and minerals, see which ones are significantly below or above the recommended daily allowance, and cut back or add accordingly, whether it's by drinking vitamin water, not drinking vitamin water, taking a supplement, eating a different food, or whatever.

That'll give a useful answer way ahead of speculation about what the average person eats or drinks and whether they need a supplement, but it takes a little work.

[Lisa Simpson]

I think Denmark got it right:

The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration has rejected applications for 18 new cereals and cereal bars made by Kelloggs because they contain levels of vitamins and minerals that could cause Danish consumers to exceed safe levels of the nutrients in their overall diet, it said.

But Denmark's authorities said that applications to market vitamin-enriched foods were increasing, and they needed to determine a guideline on foods to prevent consumers who eat lots of fortified products as well as supplements from exceeding safe nutrient levels.

"We evaluated the literature and reports from the European Scientific Committee on Food and tried to develop a model which would determine how much each food can be fortified before consumers will reach the upper safe levels of daily vitamin and mineral intake established by European authorities," Salka Rasmussen, senior researcher at the food authority, told NutraIngredients.com.

http://www.foodqualitynews.com/news/ng.asp?id=54131-denmark-bans-fortified

[Lisa Simpson]

An article on anti-oxidants from the lovely people over at Science Based Medicine:

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=38

[Vic Vega]

Eat a balanced diet with a lot of fruits and vegetables and don't spend one second worrying about this nonsense. I'm sure that's what most doctors would tell you.

[slingblade]

Eat a balanced diet with a lot of fruits and vegetables and don't spend one second worrying about this nonsense. I'm sure that's what most doctors would tell you.

Not all of us can do that, though.

You'd not believe the foods I love that I've had to give up because I don't have enough teeth (real or store-bought) to eat them any more. We drink A LOT of V8 juice at my house, to better get our veggies. How I miss munching on a fresh carrot, or a ripe Golden Delicious apple...

We once tried a liquid multivitamin suppliment, and seemed to feel much, much better for a while, though I honestly can't say if that was a real or placebo effect. But they're 'spensive, so we haven't had any in a long time.

Heh, LA, maybe that's what you might do: buy some liquid vitamins and squirt a dropperful into whatever beverage you're drinking. Then, at least, you'd know you're getting something.... ;)

[Kochanski]

LA I have the same questions about this stuff. I don't know how much is the latest hype and the desire to sell the next new fad thing.

I do eat a decent diet most of the time so my drink choice is usually water.

When I am at home I like to have White Grape juice as an alternative to water, some times plain, some times with Peach, but I usually cut it with some seltzer, it makes it less sweet and a bit fizzy and fun.

I have serious doubts about any food company's desire to provide decent food value in their stuff. There is just too much junk food information out there.

I have found that nice cold water is just as appealling as any flavored drink.

[Vic Vega]

Not all of us can do that, though.

You'd not believe the foods I love that I've had to give up because I don't have enough teeth (real or store-bought) to eat them any more.

Really? My father has dentures and he can eat anything.