Coca-Cola’s VitaminWater is a product being marketed good for your health with many benefits such as hydration, rejuvenation, and prevention from chronic diseases. In fact, it is true or an advertisement mask?
First, have a glance of ingredients in a bottle of VitaminWater: Vapor distilled water, crystalline fructose, citric acid, caffeine, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), gum Arabic, natural flavor, electrolytes (calcium, magnesium, and potassium), gum ester, zinc picolinate, vitamin E acetate, vitamin A palmitate, niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), beta carotene, Siberian ginseng and guarana extracts, cyanocobalamin (B12), caramel color, pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6).
Clearly, the drink just contains water, sugar, a few of added vitamins and a range of fruity flavours but not real fruit. Amount of vitamins you gain from the drink is tiny and you can get gain much more these nutrients from your diets.
The list of ingredients shows the beverage contains 5.4 grams of sugar per 100ml and 96kJ which means that if you drink a 500ml bottle, you will have consumed 27 grams of sugar, equivalent to 8 teaspoons of sugar and 478kJ. This amount is exceptionally high.
The beverage seems to be nothing more than sugar water. However, the appearance is quite eye-catching. Especially, it is labeled with empowering words like “endurance”, “energy”, “essential”, and “focus”.
In fact, with the amount of ingredients VitaminWater provided, it can be a healthy drink and reduce the risk of chronic disease as well as eye disease, promoted healthy joints and supported optimal immune function as marketed.
In contrast, “the sugar in each bottle of VitaminWater does more to promote obesity, diabetes, and other health problems than the vitamins in the drinks do to perform the advertised benefits listed on the bottles,” the CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) nutritionists reported in the CSPI’s original complaint.
While the product is actually no more than non-carbonated soda, providing unnecessary added sugar and contributing to getting diseases, VitaminWater with its names and statements on the label causes many consumers mistake that the product is comprised of only vitamins and water and it can help them prevent disease. Consumers should be careful of the advertisement mask of manufacturers and make a right decision to buy and consume something.