You're queueing up at the supermarket and your restless child is eyeing the assorted candies near the cashier. You pretend not to know but inevitably, she says, "Mummy, may I have some sweets?" You don't want to encourage her sweet tooth but don't want her to cause a scene either, so you tell her, "Ok, get that one with the added Vitamin C." You tell yourself, "Well it's got Vitamin C. That's better than sweets that only contain sugar but nothing else, right?"


Would that be a correct assumption? Some parents get so used to choosing such 'power' sweets (with added Vitamin C, calcium etc.) that without realising it, their children could be consuming relatively high amounts of these nutrients through these 'fortified'  snacks. With doctors and nutritionists warning of the dangers or overdosing on vitamins, should you be worried? We address this issue and other commonly asked questions below.

1. A lot of candies have Vitamin C added to them. What's so special about Vitamin C?
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is an essential nutrient that contributes to normal growth and development. You also need vitamin C to help your body absorb iron. However, the human body doesn't produce or store Vitamin C. Therefore, you need to include it in your diet. In fact, nutritionists generally recommend that you get all your daily nutrient needs from a well-balanced diet; in this case, one orange taken as a fruit or squeezed for its juice would contain enough Vitamin C for your day's needs. However, a lot of people take supplements for Vitamin C and other essential nutrients to supplement a less-than-balanced diet that may be due to lack of time, poor appetite (especially in children) or a dislike of or allergy to certain foods. In addition, some people believe that conventional methods of handling, storage and cooking food destroys a lot of its nutrients and so try to reclaim those nutrients through supplements.

2. My child and I love fruit gummies but I try to buy those with added vitamin C. Sometimes we can finish an entire bag in one day! Is this 'too much Vitamin C'?
Based on the the Health Promotion Board's Recommended Daily Allowances of nutrients needed for good health, healthy children and adults need no more than 30 mg of Vitamin C per day. A whole orange contains about twice that, while a bag of candy fortified with vitamin C may contain as much as 500mg of vitamin C or even more. Hence, if you habitually finish a bag of candy within a day or so, it would appear that you're consuming much more Vitamin C than what your body needs.

3. Will my health be affected if I keep consuming large amounts of Vitamin C through fortified candies?
Generally, while some experts would argue that the Recommended Daily Allowance levels dictated by various health authorities may not be high enough to ward off illness, most would agree that taking excessive amounts of vitamins could be risky. The good news though is that if you consume too much Vitamin C in a day through the food in your diet, most of the excess vitamin C, which is a water-soluble vitamin, would be flushed out by your kidneys and passed out when you visit the restroom. However, supplements (and some fortified candies) can contain very high levels of Vitamin C, and when your body cannot process and excrete the excess fast enough, such consumption may adversely affect your health. In addition, do note that consuming large amounts of candies also means that you might be consuming much more sugar than you need, which may lead to obesity and can contribute to tooth decay.