Every time I stand in front of the 'beverage section' at the cafeteria and look at the colorful vitamin water bottles, I wonder, "Do they really have lots of vitamins?" This is because I've seen many friends who would drink different flavors of vitamin water (or the sparkling water that we've talked about last time), despite the fact that a bottle of vitamin water cost twice more than that of normal water. Is it really worth paying more? A New York Times article posted on January 30, 2015 discusses some of the concerns on consuming vitamin water. Here is an excerpt from the article. Note that some paragraphs were omitted for the brevity of the newsletter (If you want to read the whole article, refer to the website below) 

According to a study that analyzed 46 beverages in supermarkets alongside bottled water, it found that many of these drinks contained vitamins B6, B12, niacin and vitamin C in quantities "well in excess" of the average daily requirements for young adults. Eighteen of these drinks contained more than triple the daily requirement for B6. Eleven had more than three times the requirement for B12. And a half dozen had more than three times the requirement for niacin or riboflavin. [This means that] someone can easily exceed the daily recommendation for niacin with a single bottle of "formula 50" Vitaminwater, which contains 120 percent of the daily value for it 

In addition, sugary drinks were just as likely to be concentrated with vitamins as those that were sugar-free. However, as sugar has become the focus of public health concerns about beverage consumption, this extreme micronutrient addition has fallen under the radar. [In addition] the most common nutrients added were vitamins that are already plentiful in the average person's diet, so their widespread inclusion in these drinks is almost completely unnecessary. Another nationwide study by National Institute of Health in 2012 found that supplement use put these people at increased risk of potentially excessive consumption of folic acid, calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium and vitamins A, C and B6.

When consumed in excess, some water-soluble vitamins like B and C are excreted in the urine. But fat soluble-vitamins - including A, D, E and K - accumulate in tissues, posing potential risks. "If you are over-consuming them [=the fat soluble vitamins], you can raise your levels gradually over time and get into trouble with liver function." 

Reference: New York Times Blog 

(http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/30/are-vitamin-drinks-putting-our-health-at-risk/) 

and Edited by BIOCERA Staff in New York