MAKING WATER BETTER
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.

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.

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. 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.

Although the bottled-water association recommends drinking eight glasses a day of 8 ounces each, the Institute of Medicine says "the vast majority of 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."

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.

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."

Vitamin Water

Stats (per 20-ounce bottle): 125 calories, 32 grams of sugar (crystalline fructose).

Boost: Fruit Punch flavor contains vitamins B-3 (niacin), B-6, B-12, B-5, potassium.

Claim/slogan: "It's got potassium and B vitamins to help you recover and feel refreshed."

Bottom line: Watch the sugar. An 8-ounce drink would have 52 calories from sugar. The added potassium can help replace electrolytes lost through sweating or illness, but most healthy people don't need to supplement B vitamins. Strict vegans and people over 50 have a higher risk of a deficiency of vitamin B-12, which is found in food and animal products. Foods high in protein are better sources of B vitamins, said registered dietitian Roberta Duyff, author of "The American Dietetic Association's Complete Food and Nutrition Guide" (Wiley, $24.95). Bananas, milk, potatoes and tomatoes are high in potassium.

Propel Fitness Water — Vitamin-Enhanced Water Beverage

Stats (per 23.7-ounce bottle): 30 calories, 6 grams sugar (sucrose syrup).

Boost : Vitamins C, E and B.

Claim/slogan: "Nourishes your active body with a splash of fruit flavors and essential vitamins." Has antioxidant vitamins that "aid in energy metabolism."

Bottom line: Propel is Gatorade's water for the less intense health club crowd. Unlike Gatorade, it's free of high-fructose corn syrup. It also has fewer calories than Gatorade, but again, whole-food sources of vitamins C, E and B are better. You can get vitamin C by eating citrus fruits — oranges, grapefruits — red and green bell peppers, guava, papaya and broccoli. Vitamin E is found in vegetable oils (but is destroyed in frying), nuts, seeds, salad dressings, margarine and other processed foods made with vegetable oil, Duyff said.

Dasani Plus: Vitamin Enhanced Flavored Water Beverage

Stats (per 20-ounce bottle): 0 calories, 0 grams sugar (sweetened with sucralose).

Boost: Vitamins B-3, B-6 and B-12 plus chromium, guarana and ginseng.

Claim/slogan: "Refresh and Revive."

Bottom line: No added calories, but healthy non-vegans don't need any of these added vitamins. Meat, eggs, whole-grain products and cheeses are all good sources of chromium, which works with insulin to help the body use glucose, or blood sugar. Women of childbearing age need 25 micrograms of chromium a day. One ounce of cheese (48 micrograms) provides almost twice the amount. Herbs such as guarana and ginseng should be taken in appropriate doses for effect.

Smart water — Electrolyte- Enhanced Water

Stats (per 32-ounce bottle): 0 calories, 0 grams sugar.

Boost: Vapor-distilled water plus electrolytes (calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium bicarbonate).

Claim /slogan: "Purity you can taste, hydration you can feel."

Bottom line: Electrolytes (chloride, potassium and sodium) can make water taste better and are important for those who have lost fluids through illness or longer workouts. But they will not raise your IQ, and the general public gets enough. Chloride can be found in salt and salty foods; potassium is in bananas, milk, kidney beans, baked potatoes, salted pretzels, tomatoes, oranges and almonds.

• Julie Deardorff/Chicago Tribune

WHAT IS DR HOWELL'S OPINION ON FORTIFIED WATER?
I think it is a good idea. It underlies the importance of proper hydration with exercise. You recall what happened in this year's Chicago Marathon.
Fortified water won't hurt anyone and may help so I am for it. -AH