Troubled Water

One of the most recognizable health-focused bottles in
the beverage aisle is Glacéau’s Vitamin Water. The Glacéau Web site
offers some impressive language about the drinks, including a claim
that the specially formulated “Power-C” supports the musculoskeletal
system. If the Power-C label that promises the fuel Shaquille O’Neil
needs to “break backboards, posterize {whatever that means} opponents
and win championships” is true, who wouldn’t guzzle this stuff?

Kerry Dal, a registered dietitian affiliated with Upstate
Medical University, isn’t drinking up the hype. “It’s true that certain
vitamins support the musculoskeletal structure but {Vitamin Water}
comes with a lot of extra calories and sugar,” says Dal. Two-hundred
calories in a 32-ounce bottle of Power-C, to be exact. And chances are,
if you’re spending 200 calories for your health you want to be sure you
are getting what you pay for, a wager that Dal doesn’t wholeheartedly
recommend. “The bottom line is that the content in vitamin-enriched
drinks is not guaranteed,” she says. “Vitamins are not regulated by the
FDA, so who knows if what they say is in there is really in there?”

While the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t regulate
vitamins, it is keeping an eye on nutritional claims and it doesn’t
like what it sees with another vitamin-enhanced product hitting store
shelves. Coca-Cola recently launched Diet Coke Plus claiming that “each
eight-ounce serving will provide 15 percent of the daily value (DV) of
Niacin (vitamin B3), vitamins B6 and B12, and 10 percent DV of zinc and
magnesium.” 

Message in a bottle: Don’t believe everything you read on bottled water labels. MICHAEL DAVIS PHOTOS

In a letter published at www.fda.gov, the agency asked Coca-Cola for
proof about those Diet Coke Plus statements: “The product makes a
nutrient content claim but does not meet the criteria to make the
claim.” Even if the vitamins are in the can, the FDA remains
unimpressed, telling Coke that “the FDA does not consider it
appropriate to fortify snack foods such as carbonated beverages.”

Ditching soda, with or without the vitamins, is generally
seen as a good idea for overall health, but before you switch from Coke
to Vitamin Water, count the calories you’ll be racking up. “Some people
say they cut out soda for Vitamin Water. They save themselves about 50
calories and that’s it,” says Dal. “It’s better to take a vitamin pill
and eliminate the extra calories, especially if you’re concerned about
weight loss. Eat a healthy diet with a variety of foods, whole grains,
lean meats, vegetables and fruits. Eat frequently, use variety. As a
blanket take a multivitamin every day to fill in the gaps as most
American diets need some extra vitamins.”

If you’re ready to put down the Vitamin Water and reach
for old-fashioned vitamins, head over to NaturTyme (5898 Bridge St.,
East Syracuse; 488-6300) to peruse the aisles of options. Compare
NaturTyme’s Enhanced Multivitamin with the nutrition label of Vitamin
Water’s Power-C:

Power-C: 500 percent of vitamin C, 166 percent of zinc, 167 percent of chromium and 2500 percent of vitamin B6.

Vitamin Water: 400 percent of vitamin C, 40 percent of zinc and chromium, and 80 percent of vitamin B6.

NaturTyme’s Enhanced Multivitamin costs $23.99 for 120 capsules; if you take four a day, they will last about one month.

This multivitamin packs an inarguable punch of
recommended daily allowances, which makes the health-conscious wonder
if there can be too much of a good thing. Dal says the overconsumption
of vitamins is generally not a problem, especially when spread among
several doses throughout the day. “It depends on the vitamin,” says
Dal. “Some vitamins are not absorbed in their entirety by the body. For
example, if you need 500 milligrams of a certain vitamin per day, the
human body may not absorb 500 mg just because you ingested that amount.
It may only be able to absorb a certain percentage of a single dose.
That is why megadoses are created, so if you consume twice the needed
amount, let’s say 1,000 mg, you will actually get a higher percentage
absorbed in that dose. With most vitamins it is safe because we do
excrete what we cannot absorb. There are a few that can become toxic,
such as vitamin K.”

If there is a happy medium between the calories and sugar
in Vitamin Water and the tasteless swallow of a vitamin, it may be
Propel’s Fit Powder ($2.99 for a box of 10 packets). Simply pour the
packet into a 16- to 20-ounce glass of water and you have the sweet sip
of a vitamin drink with only 20 calories and 4 grams of sugar per
packet. The vitamin content is nowhere near competitive with a
multivitamin (only 20 percent of vitamin C, 50 percent of vitamin B6
and 8 percent of vitamin B12), but it’s the lesser of two evils when
you need a thirst quencher that packs a little more punch than just
plain water.

Beyond all the hype of the new drinks hitting the market
stands Gatorade, the tried and true thirst quencher. The Gatorade Web
site, www.gatorade.com, claims the sports drink “blends fluid,
electrolytes and carbohydrates” to be the ultimate hydration beverage.
It doesn’t earn any favorable reviews from Dal, but it could come in
handy.

“I do not see any benefit to drinking Gatorade on a
regular basis. A good diet can take care of a person’s needs,” explains
Dal. But if your diet’s been thrown off because of an illness, then a
drink like Gatorade can step in to keep you hydrated. “I suppose in the
case of the flu it may be OK to replenish a very depleted system,” Dal
explains. “At that point a person needs calories and cannot eat the
foods they would normally eat.”

There isn’t a perfect new drink to quench your healthy
New Year’s resolution; it seems like optimal health in 2009 can be
found in much the same way it has been for decades—through sensible
diet and exercise.