Table of contents:
- Vitamin overdose from excessive vitamin water consumption can damage the kidneys
- Vitamin water is high in sugar, which increases the risk of diabetes
- Is low calorie vitamin water safer?
The body needs daily intake of vitamins in order to function properly. Drinking vitamin water is a convenient and practical way to meet your daily vitamin needs. Even so, you should not routinely drink it every day. This thirst quencher turns out to save so many risks of health problems that you may not have been aware of before.
Vitamin overdose from excessive vitamin water consumption can damage the kidneys
As the name suggests, vitamin water is a water-based drink that is enriched with various types of essential vitamins and minerals. For example, vitamin B complex, vitamin A, potassium, magnesium, zinc, up to vitamin C 1000 mg. Some of these drink products can also contain caffeine.
This vitamin bottled water is designed as a sports drink to replenish your body with nutrients and electrolytes that may be lost during activity or insufficient fulfillment. However, in general, the micronutrients contained in vitamin water are types of vitamins and minerals that are usually easily fulfilled through daily food intake. Drinking electrolytes is usually recommended only if you exercise for longer than 30 minutes.
Vitamins and minerals are needed by the body in limited quantities. The rest of the excess portion of these nutrients will not be stored by the body, but will only be excreted together with urine.
So, if you are already consuming a variety of healthy foods, you don't actually need to regularly drink vitamin water because your micronutrient needs are sufficiently fulfilled. You can get enough essential vitamins and minerals from fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds, lean meats, to dairy products.
Vitamin water is high in sugar, which increases the risk of diabetes
Vitamin water is arguably a protein and fat free drink. However, a 500 ml bottle of vitamin water usually contains a total of 150 calories. Nearly all of the calories in this "vitamin" drink come from the high sugar content.
One teaspoon of sugar is equal to 4 grams. A bottle of vitamin water can contain up to 37 grams of sugar. This is equivalent to 7 spoons of sugar per bottle. In comparison, one 350 ml can of soft drink contains 39 grams, which is about 9 teaspoons of granulated sugar. In fact, the maximum limit of sugar consumption in a day according to the Ministry of Health is 25-50 grams or the equivalent of 3-6 tablespoons.
The sugar contained in vitamin water comes mainly from fructose, a natural sweetener made from corn. Research shows that consuming foods or drinks fortified with fructose has a stronger addictive effect, making it difficult for people who consume it to stop.
If you regularly drink this vitamin water every day and supplement it with sugar intake from other foods, the total amount of sugar you consume will be excessive. In the end, excessive sugar consumption can increase your risk for many chronic diseases, such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other metabolic syndromes.
Is low calorie vitamin water safer?
If the above has made you intend to switch to a low calorie vitamin drink, wait a minute. Some low-calorie vitamin water products are sweetened with artificial sweeteners, for example erythriol (sorbitol, maltitol). Erythriol is a sugar alcohol that contains zero calories.
Although erythriol is more easily broken down by the body than granulated sugar (cane sugar) or other artificial sugars, this artificial sweetener has the potential to cause digestive disorders, such as diarrhea, gas, or flatulence if consumed in large quantities. The risk of these side effects can increase if you have chronic digestive disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
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