Vol. 41–The Rise of Gummies in Fitness Supplements

Quick Look 👀

1 oz of water to garden your health

1 Budding Tweet

2 Weeds to avoid

2 Websites to cultivate your garden

Random Musings

Reading Time: 5 Minutes and 33 seconds.

This week’s newsletter is brought to you by gummies.

I’ve recently seen the explosion of gummies. They are no longer just a candy, but have expanded into the world of fitness supplements.

From creatine to protein, gummies are taking over the supplement aisle. But are they any good? should you be taking them? or are they just hype?

Let's delve into the science of gummies in fitness supplements.

Action to water your health

The Science Behind Gummies in Fitness Supplements

Gummies are made using gelatin, sugar, water, and flavorings. Gelatin is a protein that comes from animal collagen and is used to give the gummies their chewy consistency. But when it comes to fitness supplements, the gelatin is replaced with a gelling agent called pectin.

Pectin is a plant-based ingredient that is derived from fruits and is used as a thickening agent in gummies. The benefit of using pectin in fitness supplements is that it is vegan-friendly and has a lower calorie count than gelatin.

There are even 3D-printed gummies (here’s my review of them in case you’re interested).

Word of Caution

Since the “active ingredient” is present in a gummy form, it has to go through an additional step of digestion and absorption. First, the gelatin in the gummy needs to be broken down by stomach acid, and then the “active ingredient” needs to be released and absorbed.

This process may take longer than the rapid absorption of the “active ingredient”, leading to a slower and potentially reduced amount being available to the body.

Also, most supplements researched are NOT in gummy form. So we don’t know what dose we should use, effective or otherwise.

Creatine Gummies

I wrote extensively about creatine in Vol. 025 if you want to read it.

Shortly it:

This review has the “25 Best Creatine Gummies for 2023”

Pro:

• Easy to consume and carry around

• A convenient way to incorporate creatine into your routine

• Vegan-friendly options available

Con:

• Unclear dosages and effectiveness

• The absorption process can be slower than other forms of creatine supplements

• May contain added sugar and artificial flavors

Protein Gummies

I had no idea this was a thing. But I guess you can make anything into a gummy nowadays.

While protein gummies may be a convenient snack for on-the-go individuals, they may not provide enough protein per serving to meet the needs of athletes and bodybuilders. Additionally, protein gummies may be higher in sugar and calories than traditional protein supplements.

Generally will be more pricy when you compare the amount per serving.

You could make your own using a few key ingredients: gelatin, water, sweetener, and protein powder (of choice).

There are tons online to buy as well.

Pre-workout Gummies

I had no idea these existed either! Some with a ridiculous amount of additives and other minimal ingredients (that don’t look bad).

• High sugar content: Many pre-workout gummies contain added sugar, which can contribute to an imbalanced diet and lead to weight gain and other health issues in the long term.

• Lower dosage of active ingredients: Pre-workout gummies typically contain a lower amount of active ingredients compared to traditional pre-workout supplements, which may result in a less potent effect.

• Cost: Pre-workout gummies can be more expensive compared to other forms of pre-workout supplements.

• Limited research: There is limited research on the effectiveness and safety of pre-workout gummies, as they are a relatively new type of supplement on the market.

While these gummies may be tasty and convenient, they also have:

Do you see the trend here? no matter what type of fitness gummies you’re taking it’s a crapshoot.

Let me know if you want me to do a deep dive into pre-workout and ingredients (shoot me an email).

The Future of Gummies in Fitness Supplements

Convenient, tasty, and enjoyable who doesn’t love gummies?

While you might read that “chewable are better absorbed” don’t be fooled.

Overall, the mode of delivery of a supplement does not necessarily dictate how well it will be absorbed by the body. The dosage, form, and quality of the ingredients, as well as individual factors like age, sex, and overall health, are more likely to influence absorption rates.

While gummies may not be the most effective form of delivery for certain fitness supplements, they offer a more enjoyable experience for those who struggle with swallowing pills or dislike the taste of traditional supplements.

As technology advances, we may see more innovative ways to incorporate gummies into fitness supplements without sacrificing their effectiveness.

Until then, it's important to weigh the pros and cons before choosing gummies over other supplement forms.

Overall, the rise of gummies in fitness supplements is an interesting trend to keep an eye on as the industry continues to evolve.

I’ll likely try them all and leave reviews. Hopefully soon.

Budding Tweet

I can relate to this. Imagine a bag full of gummies, are you only going to eat the serving size of 2 measly small pitiful gummies? or are you going all in and taking a fist full of delicious chewiness?

Weeds to avoid

1️⃣ The spotlight effect: This is the phenomenon where people tend to overestimate how much others notice aspects of one’s appearance or behavior. Most people do not care about how you look or what you’re doing. So go and do you.

2️⃣ But I take multivitamin gummy supplements can’t you extrapolate that data can use it for “fitness supplements?” NO. Because the active ingredients and intended benefits of these supplements are different, it's not appropriate to extrapolate data from multivitamin gummies to fitness gummies or vice versa. The regulations for dietary supplements are different from those for conventional foods and drug products, and dietary supplement manufacturers are responsible for evaluating the safety and labeling of their products before marketing to ensure they meet all FDA requirements.

Websites to cultivate your garden

Bentome: We have seen a link in bio from several websites. But this one has great UI/UX and is fun to play with.

Muzzle: Silence notification with one button. Says what it does.

Random Musings

1. I recently got into mechanical keyboards. I use an Epomaker TH80 and replaced the switches (lubed) with melon milk, and replaced the keycaps with DSA milkshake. Typing this newsletter never felt so good on my fingertips. 😂 

2. I went to my first olympic weightlifting meet this weekend. What a surreal feeling!

3. “Short and long sleep durations and late bedtime were associated with impaired sperm health in the study cohort, partly through increasing ASA production in the semen.” So take a look at my sleep email sequence below.

4. My Bernie girl graduated from shy dog training. She is feeling much braver these days! Do these classes exist for humans?

5. Cottage cheese is having a comeback! I’ve reluctantly joined the bandwagon.

You're an awesome human

Martin, CEO of braincrumbss

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