Quality or quantity? Discover the differences between energy gums
General
The product category “energy gum”, also known as caffeinated chewing gum, is part of the broader group of functional chewing gums. Meaning, chewing gum to which active substances have been added to achieve a specific goal. You can think of energy, concentration, quitting smoking, increasing your resistance, and so on.
The market for functional chewing gums is still a growing market and although the energy gum group still forms a modest part of this, the latter category is growing proportionally the fastest. No wonder more and more companies are entering the market with an "own" energy gum, it is not a protected title so any brand that adds any form of active energy ingredients to a chewing gum product can call itself an energy gum.
Since many (professional) athletes use energy products and many gym visitors come into contact with various forms of energy products, such as energy drinks, pills, pre-workouts, shakes, or gels, this forms an attractive, potential market for energy gum suppliers.
Active energy substances
Because energy gum is still a relatively unknown product category, it is noticeable that many users have no idea about the amount of active energy that is processed in the chewing gums, and certainly not about how much active energy you should use per kilogram of body weight in order not to be considered as a placebo effect.
Scientific research shows that, in order not to fall under the placebo effect, one should consume 2-3 mg of active energy (caffeine, dextrose/fructose, guarana, taurine, etc.) per kilogram of body weight. For (professional) athletes who train at heights, this amount of active energy should even increase to approximately 6 mg per kilogram of body weight.
Quality or quantity
There can of course be a difference in objective between the different brands.
Do you want to put the best possible energy gum on the market or do you simply want to sell larger quantities of gums? As indicated above, energy gum is part of the group of functional chewing gums. Functionality should therefore always be the starting point.
The amount of active energy per energy gum brand varies between 8mg to 120mg, with variations between 50mg and 80mg.
It is a simple calculation to find out how much bodyweight (in kg) corresponds to the number of active energy substances in the energy gum, or whether several gums are needed to deliver that output so that the placebo effect will not occur. In this case, the size of the energy gum will of course also play a role, since it must remain physically "manageable" to be able to process multiple gums (2-3) at the same time.
Costs
In a free market, it makes sense that suppliers can charge widely differing prices for their products. The cost price of an energy gum naturally strongly depends on the number of active ingredients that are added to the product. At the moment that there are not many active substances processed in the product, and therefore one would have to take several gums to still notice the effect and not fall under the placebo effect, the price per dose can suddenly change considerably compared to energy gums that naturally already contain more qualitative substances. This is where the question of quality or quantity comes into play.
The average consumer price for energy gums varies between €0,06 and €0,65. Quite a big difference, just like the number of active energy substances per brand. However, if one had to take six times or more of the cheaper product to create the same effect, the differences are suddenly a lot smaller.
Conclusion
Energy gum is definitely gaining popularity as this product has a positive impact on your energy level, focus, concentration, and alertness within minutes. This makes it a valuable addition to not only athletes but to a much larger audience. Sharp and full of energy when you need it.
However, it is very important to read the labels of the various products carefully to determine what quality you are dealing with, the number of energy gums you need to take to really benefit from them, as well as the cost involved.
Below is an example to show the difference between the energy gum brands. This is the recommended amount of active energy substances for someone weighing 65/70 kg.
