Should You Drink VitaminWater? by Robert Fusco, MD

You really have to be impressed by the executives at Coca-Cola. A few years ago, when they began to see sales of their sugary soft drinks decrease, they knew they had to come up with some way to keep consumers buying their products. Knowing that many Americans are trying to live healthier lifestyles, they decided to begin selling filtered tap water to which they would add a few pennies worth of vitamins. They gave this new product the healthy-sounding name of VitaminWater. The name sounds nutritious and it was much cheaper to produce - as rising corn prices have made high-fructose corn syrup, the main sugar component of Coca-Cola, more expensive. Their strategy must be working as the company sold 77 million 192-ounce cases last year, a standard industry measure, according to Beverage Digest, a 103 percent increase over the previous year.

The question is why? It's all about marketing. American consumers are trying to lead healthier lifestyles and have learned that traditional softdrinks are high in empty calories. In fact, each 20 oz can of COKE or Pepsi contains the equivalent of 15 teaspoons of sugar in the form of high fructose corn syrup. Too much sugar and empty calories can lead to obesity, especially in childen. They have been linked to the rising epidemic of diabetes seen in this country. So it makes sense to avoid such sugary drinks.

Is Vitamin Water Healthy?
The answer is Yes and No. It depends on if you mean "healthy" or "healthier." Compared to beverages such as COKE or Pepsi, brands of vitamin water which do not contain sugar or high-fructose corn syrup avoid those empty calories and, by comparison, are healthier. But are they "healthy?" Does consuming VitaminWater really improve one's health?

Not really. So called "vitamin water" is a drink of plain water that contains added nutrients - much like most breads today are fortified with vitamins - so it's basically fortified water. Vitamins can be classified into two basic types based on whether they dissolve in water or in fatty fluids. Fat-soluble vitamins include vitamins A, D, E, and K. Your body stores these in your liver. All other vitamins are considered water-soluble including folic acid, vitamins B1, B6, B12, and C. Unlike fat-soluble vitamins, water-soluble vitamins are NOT stored in your body. Any excess intake is released in your urine. Most vitamin waters contain water-soluble vitamins.

Energy in food comes from calories. Vitamins have very few calories so they do not contain any energy. You do need B vitamins to help extract energy from food, but most people get plenty from their diet; the high levels in energy drinks won't do the job any better. If you are getting your required vitamins from your food or a daily multivitamin, these extra vitamins are simply expelled. So what you are really doing is fortifying your urine.

Vitamin waters are not worth the money if you expect them to improve your health or if you are feeling a little bit run down. These are marketed as energy drinks - but most either have no calories or they contain empty calories from pure sugar. What they might contain instead are stimulants like ginseng or other herbal products which are added for reasons ranging from improving memory to boosting immunity. Often there's little or no evidence to back up the claims or support the safety of these ingredients. And the amount in a single energy drink is probably too small in most cases to have any effect, good or bad. These additives don't add energy to your body, but instead act as stimulants much like caffeine. A better source of enery is food like a snack such as a piece of fruit or nuts. Food is really where people should be getting their nutrients. That's where your energy should be coming from instead of relying on stimulants like caffeine, ginseng, and vitamins.

VitaminWater Helps At Least One Person
At least VitaminWater has helped one person. You have to admire the business savvy of Curtis Jackson, the rapper also known as 50 Cent. He was a 10% investor in VitaminWater producer Glaceau when Cola-Cola purchased Glaceau for $4.2 billion in cash. His share came to over $400 millon dollars. Not a bad investment.... Of course, he has become an important part of their marketing campaign to the younger demographic. They even named a VitaminWater after him - grape flavored Formula 50.

The Bottom Line
So if you wish to start consuming VitaminWater instead of sugary beverages, go right ahead. But, pick a brand that does not contain sugar or high fructose corn syrup. If you don't already drink a lot of sugary softdrinks and plan to start drinking VitaminWater because you believe it will improve your health, don't. You will simply be wasting your money. They are really no healthier than drinking plain bottled water or tap water. Add a few drops of lemon juice for flavor. Brewed teas are another option and they come in many interesting flavors. Don't pay more for vitamins that your body will simply excrete in your urine. Put those extra dollars into more fruits and vegetables. That would be a healthier choice.