» The Skinny on Vitamin Water

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Cold water immersion (a.k.a., “ice baths”) has become a popular method amongst exercise enthusiasts and athletes to enhance recovery after an intense training bout. The strategy involves exposing either the trained limb or the whole body to very cold liquid temperatures. According to p...

Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D, C.S.C.S., is an internationally renowned fitness expert and widely regarded as one of the leading authorities on body composition training (muscle development and fat loss). He is a lifetime drug-free bodybuilder, and has won numerous natural bodybuilding titles.

Nutrition

May 14, 2010

The Skinny on Vitamin Water

You may have seen commercials for a product called Vitamin Water. Vitamin Water is marketed as a “great-tasting, healthy enhanced water that is packed with nutrients” as well as “…providing a perfect complement to everyone’s less-than-perfect diet…” However, a look at the ingredients reveals otherwise…

Vitamin Water is not simply water with added vitamins. It contains 50 calories of sugar, which come in the form of crystalline fructose. Now 50 calories of sugar by itself is generally no big deal, but the calories definitely add up if you consume multiple bottles of the product–which apparently many people do. Moreover, fructose has been shown to be lipogenic, meaning it preferentially promotes fat storage. Given that the body has limited ability to store fructose as glycogen (only the liver can store fructose–muscles lack an enzyme critical for storage), gulping down several drinks could easily result in an increase in body fat.

More to the point, you would be much better served by taking a multi-vitamin/mineral complex to satisfy any additional micronutrient needs not met by the foods in your diet. You can get a month’s worth of vitmains and minerals from a one-a-day supplement for what you would pay for a single bottle of Vitamin Water!

Bottom line: Save your money on Vitamin Water–the costs outweigh the benefits. If you want to add taste to your water, squeeze in some lemon or lime. It’ll be better for your waist line and your wallet.

Stay Fit!

Brad