Emergen-c Vs. hot water

December 5, 2007 8:33 AM

Does hot water destroy the vitamins in Emergen-C?

Hot water certainly makes Emergen-c (or any fizzy vitamin mix) taste better but does it hurt the vitamins in anyway? I was terrible at chemistry and its derivatives so i really have no idea if the heat would destroy any of the bonds or not. I ask this specifically about fizzy vitamin drinks because of how they react when mixed with hot water. The very fine particles sort of explode and all the fizzy stuff gets "all fizzed out" really quickly.

Someone once told me mixing / shaking Emergen-c to much would break the bonds...but i don't believe that one.

posted by Black_Umbrella to health & fitness (9 comments total)

Emergen-C
posted by Black_Umbrella at 8:35 AM on December 5, 2007

Yeah, right on the company's website they say "we've even heard that some like it hot".
posted by briank at 8:38 AM on December 5, 2007

Under FAQs on the company's website:

CAN I DRINK EMERGEN-C HOT?
Yes. You can drink Emergen-C hot. Use hot but not boiling water.
posted by summit at 8:43 AM on December 5, 2007

Ok, since i completely missed that,

what about if boiling water was used?
posted by Black_Umbrella at 8:45 AM on December 5, 2007

I'm thinking any water that's safe for drinking (IE not so hot it would burn you) wouldn't be nearly hot enough to cause a chemical change.
posted by Kellydamnit at 9:11 AM on December 5, 2007

it's good in tea with lemon. i don't mix it in boiling hot, just drinkably hot. i don't know if it degrades the vitamin punch, but i haven't come down with scurvy yet. :)
posted by thinkingwoman at 9:15 AM on December 5, 2007

So, nothing actually addresses the persistence of the supposed vitamins so far, yes?
posted by cmiller at 12:01 PM on December 5, 2007

The reaction you're seeing when you use hot water has nothing to do with the vitamins.

It's basically the same reaction as baking powder does (acid/base) which goes faster. But more importantly, the solubility of gas in hot water is much much less than in cold water, so the carbon dioxide just turns straight into bubbles rather than dissolving and then bubbling a little.

The fizzy part has absolutely nothing to do with vitamins. It's just for fun.

Vitamin C is pretty sensitive to heat, but boiling water is not hot enough to damage it
posted by aubilenon at 12:44 PM on December 5, 2007

My (admittedly somewhat hippy-dippy) nurse roommate used to say it actually worked better hot - it was digested more quickly, or something.
posted by restless_nomad at 2:33 PM on December 5, 2007