Gummies: A Smart hack to add nutrition into daily life

The word ‘gummies’, for most of us, is synonymous with candies meant for kids’ consumption. But the chewable?candies?have now undergone a ‘healthy’ makeover and are today known to help tackle various issues these days ranging from digestive troubles, hair fall, glowy skin, weight loss to certain?specific nutritional deficiencies?as well.

Gummies, a part of the nutraceuticals industry, are said to be an alternative for consumers either tired of swallowing boring pills or those who are seeking fun ways to add nutrition to life. Though a balanced diet with varied diversity is the most desirable way to enhance nutritional status, sometimes due to poor bioavailability or enhanced requirement of specific nutrients for functional attributes, nutraceuticals are trusted.

A new term has been coined by a US-based research organisation in the year 2017, which says 'PILL FATIGUE' is the driving factor behind the popularity of gummies.

A few years back gummies were only designed for kids who were unable to pop pills, but recently the popularity of gummies has extended all possibilities and is a convenient way to add nourishment into daily life.

Now, let us see what exactly gummies are:

Gummies are soft textured like marshmallows and come in a variety of flavours, colours, and shapes. These days gummies are added with essential?multivitamins?including vitamin A, B, C, D, E, biotin, iron, zinc, collagen, hyaluronic acid, folic acid, or others depending upon functionality.

?Various health claims served by nutritional gummies:

1.?Weight loss - Apple cider vinegar is one of the favourite gummies among weight watchers. These gummies are prepared by adding apple cider vinegar extract, beetroot extract or other botanical extracts, added with essential micronutrients like Zinc, Folate which aid in weight loss.

2.?For skin, hair & nail - Gummies are often taken to enhance beauty inside out. These gummies are made by adding biotin, zinc, and other multivitamins that make hair and nail stronger and skin brighter and more radiant.

3.?Sound sleep - Gummies are also taken by adults to get relief from stress and welcome sound sleep. They are made by using melatonin, L-theanine, vitamin B6 and Vitamin B3 which helps to reduce fatigue, so that body gets enough rest and blissful sleep.

4.?Immunity - Kids below 5 years have low immunity and what is better way to boost immunity than introducing their favourite gummies.! It’s made with Vitamin A, C, D, E, Zinc, Iron, Iodine along with botanical extract to enhance their immunity level.

5.?For specific gender requirements - Gummies are also designed keeping in?mind the individual requirement of men and women. The nutritional requirement of men varies that of women. Accordingly, gummies are designed with specific micronutrients to suit each requirement.

6.?For specific disease requirements - Gummies can be designed to keep in mind specific diseases and the role of micronutrients for controlling or preventing that specific disease condition. For example- Calcium, Phosphorus, and Vitamin D can be added for preparing gummies for boosting bone health.

Thus Gummies are increasing in popularity, specifically with a younger generation because they are super easy to consume and they taste great. Gummies’ bright colours and fun flavours appeal to Gen Z.

But caution should be taken against overconsumption because just like candies, they also contain sugar which means the dosage needs to be monitored closely especially for protecting dental health.

Written by Srirupa Guha