How is it that when I buy vitamins from a Pharmacy etc, they come in a dark or solid walled container and contain a desicant to keep the ingredients dry. They also say firmly on the label to keep these vitamins in a cool dark place. OK, that makes sence and its easy to find out why they say this, a quick call to a vitamin manufacturer confirms that vitamins and minerals are very unstable, that there are several things that quickly cause them to degrade, these are light, moisture, heat and air. So how is it then that there are companies all over the world that claim they have drinks that contain vitamins, when we know that they cannot last in the environment of a drink? Can anyone offer me any comments? Thanks

it was explained to me by someone i know in the bev business that even though they do put vitamins in the drink all or most of them are gone after the drink is Pasteurized ...

anyone else got any insight ?

Just a guess, but there are fat soluble and water soluble vitamins.

The fat soluble vitamins include vitamin D, E, A, and K.

The water soluble vitamins are basically all of the B vitamins.

I noticed in Diet Coke Plus that they basically have some B vitamins, Magnesium, and Zinc and that's it. So, I think the water soluble vitamins and many of the minerals are soluble in water and probably are fine, whereas those that are fat soluble probably wouldn't work out.

Originally Posted by ZedFlummox

Just a guess, but there are fat soluble and water soluble vitamins.

The fat soluble vitamins include vitamin D, E, A, and K.

The water soluble vitamins are basically all of the B vitamins.

I noticed in Diet Coke Plus that they basically have some B vitamins, Magnesium, and Zinc and that's it. So, I think the water soluble vitamins and many of the minerals are soluble in water and probably are fine, whereas those that are fat soluble probably wouldn't work out.

Fat Soluable vs Water soluable refers to the action takeing place inside the body and how that particular vitamin is absorbed.

Most, if not all, mass market drinks out there that have vitamins in them, IMO, don't have enough in them to do squat for you. They are feel good products that have been marketed to make the consumer feel as though he is smart and has made a wise choice in his beverage selection.
Look at the label of VW: it touts that it is a good choice for those that wish to get pregnant, which implies sex.
Look at their Power-C drink, it contains 25mg of Taurine. Seriously, what good is that for?

Although it is true that water soluble vitamins tend to be excreted quickly from the body whereas fat soluble vitamins tend to be stored (in fat), the terms (as the names imply) refer to their physical properties as to what they are soluble in.

Water soluble vitamins are hydrophilic (meaning that they are more polar and can be dissolved easily in water (a fellow polar substance)) whereas fat soluble vitamins are hydrophobic (they tend to not be polar (that is, neutral with long carbon chains); meaning that mixing them with water is like trying to mix an oil or fat in water....it just doesnt happen).

However, separating them this way is useful since, as you mentioned, the body handles them differently. For example, you can drink all of the Vitamin C you want (which is water soluble), but extra vitamin C is unlikely to do you much good, since you just urinate out any excess that you have. However, if you ingest too much of a vitamin like vitamin A (which is fat soluble) you can get vitamin toxicity since you store all of that extra vitamin in the body. In fact, if you eat a polar bear liver (which has extremely high concentration of vitamin A), you can easily die from it.

Just in case you were thinking about killing your nearest polar bear and eating its liver.