So you think that getting your daily dose of vitamins in your water bottle is making you healthier? It's doubtful. You'd better think again before downing your next bottle of flavored water.
You need water
Water - plain water - is an essential nutrient. In other words, in order to function properly, the body must be fed a steady supply of water because it cannot manufacture its own. The recommendation for water intake is 8-10 six-ounce glasses daily, which includes juice and most other uncaffeinated beverages.
In the ingredients: caffeine
You may be surprised to see that caffeine is an ingredient of your favorite flavored water drink. This chemical compound, also found in cola and coffee, can increase heart rate and blood pressure, exacerbate arrhythmias, and cause insomnia. In addition, caffeinated beverages are diuretics and actually increase your need for water. When water is adulterated with caffeine, you probably need to drink a glass of pure water when you are done to replace the water lost to dehydration.
Also in the ingredients: artificial sweeteners
If you look at the label carefully, you will see that in most cases, flavored water contains some impersonator of sugar. Aspartame, sold as NutraSweet, saccharin, and -- the newest offender on the market -- Splenda (sucralose). Although the Food and Drug Administration has approved these products for human consumption, long-term use of these man-made sweeteners has not been studied. In fact, we know that the consumption of aspartame leads to the accumulation of formaldehyde on the brain, causing harm to the nervous system and to the immune system as well as irreversible genetic damage in humans.
Sucralose is a compound that contains extremely sweet chlorine atoms. When ingested, chlorine can interfere with proper growth because chlorine shrinks the thymus. Studies have also shown that sucralose enlarges the kidneys.
More than you need
Some people think that the vitamins found in some bottled water varieties are an additional benefit to their diet. Frankly, diets that need these vitamins to bring them up to snuff are probably lacking other important nutrients as well.
It is recommended that you get all your vitamins from the food you eat. A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products should provide an ample supply. On the occasional day that you do not meet your needs, taking a multi-vitamin supplement is prudent and is recommended. Getting too much of any vitamin is not beneficial. Overdosing can be toxic and can be harmful to your health. Drinking vitamin-fortified water daily is unnecessary and unhealthy.
There you have it. Go with plain water.
Makes you think!