Can water do more than simply hydrate?
Apparently yes, with a range of water-based drinks with health benefits now available in supermarkets and on the High Street.
So CHARLOTTE DOVEY asked experts to assess a selection of the new products which we then rated (and tasted).
Wow Cacao
Cacao, which is also known as the ‘food of the Gods’, has been used to reduce inflammation and improve blood flow for many years
Six 500ml bottles, £21, drinkwowcacao.com
Per 100ml: Calories, 21; sugar, 5g; salt, 0g
Claim: Made with water and 33 per cent cacao juice ‘preserved cacao fruit pulp’, this is ‘packed with antioxidants’, contains electrolytes and is rich in vitamin C and potassium.
Expert verdict: ‘On a positive note, this drink derives from a natural source — cacao — and isn’t laden with artificial chemicals, and while the sugar level is the highest of all products here, it’s still on the low side and is natural,’ says Hazel Clarke, a dietitian and founder of HC Dietetics.
‘Plus, any drink with electrolytes — minerals such as sodium and potassium that your body needs to function — can aid fluid absorption. You’d get 7.5 per cent of your recommended daily potassium in a bottle, which helps the body retain water in your cells and maintain blood pressure.
‘But this is only really useful for athletes who need extra fluid after losing it through sweat, or people experiencing fluid losses [through diarrhoea, for instance].
‘For the general population it’s not necessary. And at £3.75 each, it’s expensive. Just drink water.’
Health rating: 6/10
Taste: Slightly sour with a dry aftertaste.
Vitamin Well Recover Elderflower & Peach
500ml, £1.85, ocado.com
Per 100ml: Calories, 17; sugar, 4.2g; salt, 0.03g
Claim: Contains B vitamins and magnesium which ‘contribute to the reduction of tiredness’, plus pantothenic acid ‘that contributes to normal metabolism’.
Expert verdict: ‘It is, quite frankly, counterproductive to drink an essentially unhealthy sugary drink to get your vitamins — but this is exactly what you’d be doing with this,’ says Emer Delaney, a dietitian and founder of My Private Diet.
‘After water, the second ingredient is sugar — drink the entire bottle and you’d consume about four teaspoons of added sugar. Also, the sugar is fructose. There’s evidence that excess fructose consumption could lead to increased food consumption, as it may not make people feel as full: studies have shown it produces smaller increases in satiety hormones than glucose, the sugar found naturally in startchy carbohydrates, for instance.
‘This, in itself, negates any benefits from the drink, if there are any at all. Even then, this doesn’t provide high enough levels of many vitamins — only folic acid is present at 100 per cent your daily needs, and few people are low in this B vitamin.’
Health rating: 1/10
Taste: Artificial peach flavour.
Vieve Protein Water Strawberry & Rhubarb
Despite containing 20g’s of protein per bottle, Vieve’s protein water also contains additives that can be harmful to your health
500ml, £1.84, ocado.com
Per 100ml: Calories, 18; sugar, 0g; salt, 0.038g
Claim: With 20g protein and 85 calories per bottle, this contains water, bovine collagen, flavourings and the sweetener sucralose. ‘Drink it after a workout, or as a protein top-up during the day.’
Expert verdict: ‘Adding bovine collagen to water sounds revolting,’ says Emer Delaney.
‘Collagen — the body’s most abundant protein — is popular thanks to its potential anti-ageing properties. We naturally produce it from amino acids in foods such as meat and eggs, but ageing, smoking, alcohol and sun damage reduces its levels, leading to joint pain, weakened muscles and wrinkly, dry skin.
‘However, while scientific research has shown cow-based protein to be helpful for joints, most studies involve wildly varying dosages (between 0.1 and 10mg) and generally look at older women with low bone mineral density. And positive scientific studies are often funded by the supplement industry.’
Hazel Clarke adds: ‘Getting your collagen from this drink also means getting a load of additives. This includes the artificial sweetener sucralose which has been shown in some studies to change gut bacteria and worsen symptoms of IBS.
‘Instead, opt for food sources — lean meat, pulses, nuts or tofu — and have vitamin C-rich foods such as citrus fruits and berries, as these help the body produce collagen in the first place.’
Health rating: 3/10
Taste: Very sweet, with unpleasant after taste.
BetterYou Magnesium Water Hydrate
250ml, £1.49, hollandandbarrett.com
Per 100ml: Calories, 8; sugar, 1.2g, salt, 0.030g
Claim: ‘Rapidly replace the magnesium lost through exercise and daily stress with a triple-blend of magnesium and Irish sea minerals — fuelling every cell in the body.’
Expert verdict: Emer Delaney says: ‘Save yourself the cost per can and just eat magnesium-rich foods with lots of fibre such as leafy greens, nuts and beans. Just a handful of almonds, for instance, will provide almost a fifth of your daily magnesium needs — and is full of additional nutrients and fibre too.
‘You’d also avoid the sweetener, agave nectar, which may cause digestive problems for some.’
Hazel Clarke adds: ‘I’d recommend this to those with chronic constipation. Magnesium can increase gut function and assist with softening stools.’
Health rating: 6/10
Taste: Citrusy mineral flavour.
Aqua de Madre Water Kefir Pomegranate & Hibiscus
Drinking water kefir everyday is thought to increase antioxidants, regulate blood sugar and boost immunity
330ml, £2.49, welleasy.co.uk
Per 100ml: Calories, 14; sugar, 2.8g; salt, 0.1g
Claim: ‘Bursting with billions of gut-loving live cultures,’ this contains kefir culture fermented in water, bacillus subtilis and Himalayan salt.
Expert verdict: Hazel Clarke says: ‘Many of us are familiar with kefir, the gut-friendly yoghurt-type drink. This is similar, except it’s made by mixing kefir grains with sugar water rather than milk. This produces a fizzy drink rich in probiotics, plus bacillus subtilis.’
Emer Delaney adds: ‘Studies suggest that milk kefir has a wider range of good bacteria than water-based kefir and is more beneficial. However, water kefir is a good source of probiotics for vegans and people intolerant to dairy. This is also additive-free and the best functional drink of the lot here.’
Health rating: 9/10
Taste: Pleasantly pomegranate flavoured.
Actiph Alkaline Ionised Water
1 litre, £2.15, tesco.com
Per 100ml: Calories, 0g; sugar, 0g; salt, 0g
Claim: Made with spring water and added electrolytes, this ‘provides an alkaline alternative to our increasingly acidic diets’.
Expert verdict: ‘The implication that this water counteracts our acid diets, improving your health, is ridiculous,’ says Hazel Clarke.
‘While the website correctly explains how the fizzy, sugary soft drinks, fast food and alcohol that many of us eat are acidic — and can be harmful in excess — there is no evidence that drinking something alkaline will balance out those harmful effects, nor change our body’s pH. The only thing that could make a difference is medication.’
Health rating: 1/10
Taste: Similar to tap water.
Fhirst’s Living Soda contains corn fibre and chicory root inulin which are known to help beneficial bacteria grow
Fhirst Living Soda Ginger Mandarin
330ml, £2, welleasy.co.uk
Per 100ml: Calories, 6; sugar, 0g; salt, 0.01g
Claim: ‘A probiotic and prebiotic gut soda with no sugar or sweeteners that is science-backed.’
Expert verdict: ‘I don’t know what the science is to back this particular drink,’ says Hazel Clarke, ‘however, the Lactobacillus rhamnosus probiotics in it is a well-studied, friendly bacteria. This also contains the “prebiotics” corn fibre and chicory root inulin, which help your gut’s good bacteria flourish.
‘Together, these ingredients maintain a healthy gut, although it’s unlikely the drink contains levels needed for significant benefits — the standard recommendation is at least ten billion; this claims to contain two billion.’
Emer Delaney adds: ‘This drink could be problematic to IBS sufferers, as chicory root inulin can cause bloating and diarrhoea. However, for everyone else this wouldn’t do any harm.’
Health rating: 7/10
Taste: Strong flavour of ginger.
Tapped Birch Water
250ml, £2.75, ocado.com
Per 100ml: Calories, 3; sugar, 0.7g; salt 0g
Claim: Birch water, with no added sugars or sweeteners. Only 8 calories, this provides ‘15 per cent of your daily manganese’ and is a natural source of ‘anti-oxidising manganese which supports the protection of cells from oxidative stress’.
Expert verdict: ‘Antioxidants such as manganese help protect the body against free radicals — molecules that can damage cells and contribute to ageing and some cancers,’ says Emer Delaney.
‘However, manganese is not something that’s routinely measured — nor is it something people tend to be deficient in. We get enough in one piece of wholegrain toast, for example.
‘Also, plenty of vitamins and minerals have antioxidant properties — vitamins A, C, E, for instance — so eat foods high in these such as leafy greens and berries. Plus, you can lower your levels of free radical damage by limiting alcohol intake, controlling stress levels, exercising and getting enough sleep.’
Health rating: 3/10
Taste: Sweet, almost creamy.
Io Fibre Water Lemon & Lime
500ml, £1.99, naturesbalance.co.uk
Per 100ml: Calories, 3; sugar, 0.2g; salt, 0g
Claim: ‘Enjoy 100 per cent of your daily prebiotics intake and 20 per cent of your daily fibre intake’ in a bottle.
Expert verdict: ‘Getting more fibre into our diets isn’t a bad idea, but why do this by drinking water with fibre added to it?’ says Hazel Clarke. ‘Just because science enables you to do something — doesn’t mean you should.
‘Just half an avocado, for instance, will give you 6.7g of fibre and a medium pear, 5.5g. And you’d get all the added benefits of eating these foods.’
Emer Delaney adds: ‘This contains the sweeteners steviol and erythritol — both may cause digestive problems. However, this is fundamentally a processed drink and not as good as fresh food and water.’
Health rating: 2/10
Taste: Artificial-tasting lemon with a hint of sweetness.