Students turn to beverages like Vitaminwater despite possible  exaggeration of benefits

By Hafsa Razi

<[email protected]>

Freshman Sydney Poindexter is not, as she says, a “fruit person.” According to her, the only fruits she likes are apples and clementines. When it comes to her vitamin intake, Poindexter said she realizes were it not for the popular health drink, Vitaminwater, she would be lacking in daily nutrients.

“My mom’s like, ‘Well, you know what, (Vitaminwater) has the vitamin that you’re not getting because you don’t eat bananas,’ or whatever,” Poindexter said.

Glacèau’s Vitaminwater, like other health drink brands, boasts drinks “packed” with vitamins. But these drinks might not be as beneficial as they seem.

In Jan. 2009, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a consumer advocacy organization, sued the Coca-Cola Company, owner of Glacèau, in an ongoing lawsuit, according to the CSPI’s website. It said Vitaminwater made “deceptive and unsubstantiated claims,” violating Food and Drug Administration (FDA) policy. The CSPI said fraudulent health claims masked large amounts of sugar and calories, calling Vitaminwater an exploitation of consumers’ desire to drink healthily. However, students like Poindexter continue to buy health drinks like Vitaminwater even though they might not live up to their labels.

According to Poindexter, she drinks Vitaminwater a couple times a week. In addition to its taste, she said, Vitaminwater’s health benefits are what attracted her to the drink. Since she doesn’t regularly eat fruits, Poindexter said, the vitamins in Vitaminwater are especially important to her.

But according to Nancy Spencer, nutrition and fitness teacher, students shouldn’t rely on supplements like Vitaminwater to substitute vitamins from natural food.

“Eating a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables is better than drinking health drinks,” Spencer said. “(Fruits and vegetables) have all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that your body needs.”

Drinks like Vitaminwater, Spencer said, are not just unnecessary—their high levels of sugar and calories actually outweigh their nutritional benefits. According to her, it’s those potentially harmful ingredients in health drinks that aren’t promoted or well-known.

Some students, though, are aware of the negative effects of health drinks. Freshman Ari Williams said he never drinks Vitaminwater because he dislikes its taste. However, according to him, Vitaminwater isn’t healthy either. Despite its promoted health benefits, he said, Vitaminwater still contains sugar and other unhealthy substances.

“They wouldn’t be as good for you as just regular water,” Williams said.

Ultimately, Spencer said, students have to pay attention to ingredients and labels on drinks like Vitaminwater.

According to her, informed consumers can identify products that are more harmful than beneficial. However she said many students aren’t so well-informed.

But even Poindexter said she is aware of Vitaminwater’s high sugar content.

“I didn’t drink (Vitaminwater) as much at first because it was like ‘wow, they’re so high in calories, there’s so much sugar,’” Poindexter said.

But once the company introduced Vitaminwater Zero, containing zero calories and little sugar, Poindexter said, she became interested again.

Also, according to Poindexter, she only looks at the vitamin percentages of Vitaminwater because some of its other health claims, like those saying the drink can prevent cancer, are too far-fetched to rely on.

“If you’re saying, ‘Oh (Vitaminwater) is going to make me so much healthier’—okay, yeah, that’s kind of too much,” Poindexter said.

Like Poindexter, Williams said health drinks don’t contribute much to one’s overall health. “I’m sure it can help you. But not as much as (companies) are advertising, ’cause they’re still trying to make money,” he said

According to Poindexter, people should understand that all companies will tend to exaggerate the benefits of their products, though she doesn’t see that as a reason to stop drinking Vitaminwater.

“I’m not saying you have to read the fine print,” Poindexter said, “But as long as you have the understanding in your mind that (companies) are selling a product, then, there’s nothing wrong with (their marketing tactics).”
But according to Spencer, even for consumers who are aware of this, the better—and cheaper—solution is a natural vitamin intake from fruits and vegetables.

“Drink water, eat your fruits and vegetables, and you don’t need Vitaminwater,” Spencer said.

Williams too said health drinks are not worthwhile. In addition to having questionable benefits, he said, “(Vitaminwater) tastes bad. So there’s no reason to drink it.”

Indeed, Spencer said, taste actually plays the larger role in whether many students drink Vitaminwater or don’t.

“I think some kids get in the habit of drinking (Vitaminwater) because it tastes good or whatever, and then they think they’re getting all this extra benefit because of the vitamins in it,” Spencer said.

However, according to Poindexter, while those extra vitamins attracted her initially and are helpful, she would still drink Vitaminwater even without them.

“(Vitaminwater tastes) good. They’re not as high in sugar and sodium as soda,” Poindexter said. “They’re still better for you.”