Somebody at work pointed these Vitaballs out to me today. (I think he wanted to see my head explode.)
Vitaballs are candy-coated gumballs with vitamins. They are clearly marketed for children:
Vitaball delivers 100% RDA of 11 essential vitamins but in four flavors selected by kids, and sweetened with a blend of high quality sweeteners for kid-preferred, long-lasting great taste. And, to top it all off, Vitaball is a bubble gum gumball that's fun for kids of all ages.
My head did not explode, but I do have some, shall I say, issues with using this particular dosage form. I'm concerned that blurring the line between "medicine" and "candy" will confuse kids and lead to poisonings and overdoses. The manufacturer addresses the OD question:
The recommended use of Vitaball is one gumball per day, chewed for 5-10 minutes. We strongly advise adults to supervise children's daily intake to prevent over-consumption.In the event more than one vitamin gumball is consumed, the question of potential toxicity may logically be raised. Vitaball contains both water soluble and fat soluble vitamins. Water soluble vitamins (vitamin C, and the B-vitamins, including thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B-6, folic acid, B-12, biotin, and pantothenic acid) present no real issues of toxicity. Water-soluble vitamins are not stored in the body in any significant quantity or for any length of time. The body regulates its use of these vitamins and excretes any unneeded amounts though urination and perspiration.
Great, the water-soluble vitamins don't pose a risk, but how about the others? You can overdose on vitamins, and plenty of adults don't understand the dose-response curve. I see a kid getting his yummy gumball. I see him asking for more yummy gumballs and Mommy saying no. I see Mommy maybe, if Mommy actually understands it herself, saying that a certain amount of vitamins are good for you but too many vitamins will make you sick. And then I see the kid climbing up the on the kitchen counter as soon as Mom's back is turned and stuffing his mouth full of as many gumballs as he can hold.
I could go on...I should go on, to make all my points...but I need to go make dinner. So on the subject of food, I'll point out this very useful chart that's also on Vitaball's web page. It's got the vitamins, what they do, and where to find them...vitamin A, for example, is in green and yellow fruits and vegetables. Vitamin E is in cold-pressed vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and eggs.
I read the whole chart...it didn't mention candy-coated bubblegum in there at all.
Posted by Nic at June 22, 2004 05:57 PM