By Jenny Tschiesche BSc(Hons) Dip(ION) FdSc BANT

Why Gummy Vitamins?

You may have seen gummy vitamins and minerals on the market before and wondered if they are a good option. They have been around for some time but sadly many of those early to market had pure profit in mind and were not thinking about the best way to build good quality, easy to take and absorb supplements without added sugars and additives into the busy modern day lifestyle.

The good news is that some of the newcomers to this market take these matters very seriously. That means that their gummies are well considered from a nutrient perspective but are not loaded with sugar, additives, preservatives and are not made with cheap fillers. They look appealing, taste great and have good quality nutrients in the right quantities and combinations for optimal health.

Easy To Take

The visual and taste appeal of gummies makes them an ideal choice for those who struggle to swallow tablets and capsules. As a nutrition consultant I have come across hundreds of clients who struggle to take and swallow supplements. Being in a tasty gummy format that breaks down easily in the mouth makes it far easier for clients to stick to a supplement plan and for them to remember to take their supplements on a daily basis.

Easily Broken Down

Concerns are often raised about how easily gummy supplements are broken down and absorbed by the human body. Yet there is evidence from multiple studies that shows that nutrient absorption is equivalent or greater in the form of gummies than tablets and capsule forms. The mechanism for this appears to be the ability of the body to start breaking down the supplements as soon as they enter the mouth, i.e. as soon as they combine with enzyme-containing saliva.  There is even some evidence to suggest that they break down sublingually i.e. below the tongue. Further break down takes place in the stomach then the small intestine, in particular in the duodenum where the pancreas deposits bile for fat digestion.

Some further publications for gummy supplements:

• In this study Vitamin D gummies were shown to have greater bioavailability that a tablet equivalent dose. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31067745/
• Absorption of folate from gummies was shown to be faster than in tablet form in this study. https://academic.oup.com/cdn/article/4/Supplement_2/1846/5845719
• The Vitamin C absorption between gummy and caplet was equivalent in this study. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31747355/
• Both Vitamin B12 AND Vitamin E were shown to have equivalent absorption to tablet form in this study. https://academic.oup.com/cdn/article/4/Supplement_2/1846/5845719

Supporting Modern Lifestyle

We no longer follow 9-5 working schedules. There is a lot more flexible working now than ever before. Following a routine is hard enough and often the time of day we have available to us to remember to exercise or if we’re lucky meditate can change on a daily basis. The same is true for remembering to take supplements. If taking your supplements is something you look forward to then remembering to do so is far more likely than forgetting. Finding a tasty gummy supplement that meets our nutrient needs that we enjoy taking means we can supplement our body’s in a way that complements the flexible and sometimes unpredictable lifestyle we lead.

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