By Julie Deardorff
Chicago Tribune

The beverage industry is touting a natural resource with potent healing powers, one that promises to boost the immune system, aid weight loss, ease sore muscles and even fight hangovers.

Alex Garcia/Chicago Tribune Fiji Water is an example of Artesian water: Comes from a well that taps a "confined aquifer," or groundwater below a layer of solid rock or clay. The water level stands at some height above the top of the aquifer. Examples: Evamore, Fiji.

It's called water.

But this isn't bland old tap water. It's flavored and "nutritionally enhanced" bottled water that has been jazzed up with everything from cucumber to mango and grapefruit extracts, infused with vitamins, minerals and electrolytes, and loaded with herbal supplements, antioxidants and oxygen.

Known as "functional beverages," thirst quenchers such as VitaminWater are especially popular with consumers ages 18 to 34 looking for a boost. The waters don't just hydrate; they claim to "protect your skin from the inside out," "revive your soul," "improve your mood" and "increase energy and alertness."

Whether fortified water can deliver on all those promises is still up for debate. Critics say there's no science to show enhanced water has more health benefits than less expensive tap water, while environmental organizations, religious groups and even restaurateurs argue that all bottled water_enhanced or not_is a wasteful and insupportable use of fossil fuels because of the costs associated with its manufacture and transportation.

From a nutritional standpoint, experts maintain that it's better to get nutrients through whole foods. They also point out that taking extra vitamins doesn't necessarily make you healthier.

Consumers, meanwhile, might be surprised to learn that many of these beverages aren't technically "bottled water" at all because, like soft drinks, they have added sweeteners and often calories. Water can be called "bottled water" only if it contains no added ingredients, except for antimicrobial agents or fluoride, according to the Food and Drug Administration's definition.

But Americans, always eager to try quick and convenient health remedies, are drinking up fortified waters anyway. From 2004 through 2006, sales for enhanced waters and sports drinks grew by 73 percent, to $1.2 billion, according to the market-research firm Mintel International Group.

"The enhanced waters are at the intersection of several growth trends in the beverage business," said John Sicher, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest. "Consumers are gravitating toward lighter, lower-calorie beverages, there's growing interest in functional beverages beyond taste and refreshment, and they're playing off the growth of bottled water."

In 2006, per capita consumption of bottled water in the U.S. was 27.6 gallons per person, a 9.5 percent increase from the previous year, according to the International Bottled Water Association. In 1976, Americans drank just 1.6 gallons per person.

Today, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo dominate the enhanced-water market, which Glaceau created in 1996. In May, Coke snatched up Glaceau for $4 billion; in addition to Glaceau's VitaminWater, SmartWater and FruitWater, Coke's brands include Dasani Plus. PepsiCo's offerings of enhanced-water beverage include Aquafina Alive Wellness Water, SoBe Life Water and Gatorade's Propel Fitness water.

VIEWED AS HEALTHY

VitaminWater and Propel are two of the most popular products in the category, according to Sicher. Although both have added sweeteners, they don't contain high-fructose corn syrup and thus enjoy a healthy reputation.

Even though industry associations and trade groups claim that high-fructose corn syrup is not to blame for the obesity epidemic, more products are being labeled HFCS-free to appeal to health-conscious consumers, according to the market-research firm Datamonitor.

"As a nutritionist, I may not support (functional water), but as a public-health servant, I do," said Roger Clemens, the public-health specialist for the Institute of Food Technologists. "Our goal is to provide the best possible nutrition for 300 million people in the country. In this case, it may be it takes us looking at fortified water to do that."

The premise behind functional water is that the public is chronically dehydrated and short on nutrients. And because it's often hard to change a person's behavior, food companies are changing the food they're eating or drinking.

But is it necessary? Although the bottled-water association recommends drinking eight glasses a day of 8 ounces each, the Institute of Medicine says "the vast majority of healthy people adequately meet their daily hydration by letting their thirst be their guide."

"Most people need to drink two quarts of water a day," said Marion Nestle, a professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at New York University who thinks "liquid gold" when she sees bottled water. "But these quarts do not have to come from water itself; they can also come from anything with water in it."

Although artificially vitamin-enriched food and drinks may sound beneficial, they're not the same as foods with naturally occurring vitamins and nutrients, wrote Renee Loux in "The Balanced Plate" (Rodale, $22.95). In many cases, the body can't do much with the added nutrient because it can't absorb it.

Then there's the question of whether we really even need more B vitamins, electrolytes (sodium, chloride and potassium) or folic acid.

Endurance athletes who have lost electrolytes through sweat may benefit from electrolyte-enhanced drinks, for example, but for most people, the drinks simply offer extra calories.

According to government dietary guidelines, specific populations_those over 50 and women of childbearing age_are the ones who should worry about increasing levels of vitamin B-12, folic acid, iron and vitamins E and D. The rest of Americans should work on reducing calories, saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars and salt.

"There's not a single drink out there_from Enviga to SmartWater_that has any proof of impact," said nutrition professor Barry Popkin, who directs the Interdisciplinary Center for Obesity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"Just because 1/8a nutrient3/8 is in the product doesn't necessarily mean it will impact you or get in your body. There are all sorts of false labels promising health benefits.

"The American public is told they're deficient in something when they're not," Popkin added. "And what they're providing is not going to benefit. All they're doing is selling sugar in another form, adding calories, feeding the obesity epidemic and calling it `healthy.'"

ROOM IN THE DIET

Still, it's a smart idea to hydrate. And if enhanced waters help people consume less calorie-laden soda, there's a place for them in a diet, said registered dietitian Roberta Duyff, author of The American Dietetic Association's "Complete Food and Nutrition Guide" (Wiley, $24.95).

But there's still no substitute for a good diet and nothing better than plain water, Duyff said. "Throw in a lemon or lime slice and enjoy the extra flavor that way," she said. "Eating right, getting enough rest and reducing stress are the wisest things to do. Don't expect a beverage to do it for you."

© 2007, Chicago Tribune.