Gummy vitamin market keeps growing, but are they worthwhile?

The North American gummy vitamin market sits around $1.11 billion, according to a Transparency Market research report. And it’s expected to grow to $1.64 billion by 2025. (Worldwide, the market could expand to $4.17 billion by 2025.)

Gummy vitamins, in case you didn’t know, are chewable vitamins in a form similar to gummy candies.

But the question is whether those vitamins are actually effective. Concerns exist about the accuracy of the ingredients (converting to a gummy form can be difficult). An analysis by ConsumerLab.com discovered that, of the gummy vitamins they tested, 80 percent had discrepancies with the listed amount of vitamins and minerals.

But they are incredibly easy to take, especially for children or people who have difficulty swallowing pills or who have to take a large amount of pills. And they usually taste pretty good, too. (Nobody wants those nasty, chalky chewable vitamins of years past.)

There are those who aren’t huge fans of gummy vitamins, mostly because of the sugar content. Flintstone Gummies Complete, for example, have two grams of sugar per two vitamins, which is the suggested dosage. For comparison’s sake, one Starburst fruit chew has 2.8 grams of sugar.

Dr. Mark Moyad, the Jenkins/Pomkempner Director of Preventive and Alternative Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical Center, says he didn’t like people getting used to getting their nutrients with a dose of added sugar.

“It’s like eating Halloween candy 365 days a year,” Moyad told Time.

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