Contrary to the claims made on their packages, some novel beverages such as vitamin waters and energy drinks marketed in Canada provide little nutritional benefits to the consumers, says a study.
"While our findings suggest that consumers stand to reap little or no benefit from the nutrient additions in novel beverages, most products were being marketed as if they provided a unique benefit to the consumer through the nutrient additions," Naomi Dachner from University of Toronto.
The novel beverages expose the consumers to unnecessarily high nutrient loads with no potential benefit, the study pointed out.
On-package marketing highlighted nutritional attributes such as immune support and antioxidant properties, and some made claims related to specific nutrients.
In addition, nutrients were often juxtaposed with messages related to performance and emotional well-being, benefits that go beyond conventional nutritional science.
The study found extensive micronutrient additions at levels often well in excess of nutrient requirements.
The most commonly found nutrients were vitamins B6, B12, C and niacin.
The findings were published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.
