Is this kind of water good for your health? Is “high-end water” really high-end?

As the saying goes, water is the source of life. There are many types of drinking water on the market. In addition to the mineral water and purified water we drink daily, there are also many expensive waters, such as baby water, enzyme sparkling water, oxygen-enriched water, etc. So, are these "high-end waters" really "high-end" than ordinary water?

Various "magical" effects on the packaging

Some time ago, the media exposed the chaos in the marketing of alkaline water. The alkaline water scam was exposed, but various types of water packaged with "new concepts" are still emerging in the market, with weight loss, sleep aid, anti-oxidation... The functions are dazzling.

Let us first take a look at the “magical” effects of these “high-end waters” claimed by merchants .

Baby water : In view of the immature immune and metabolic systems of infants, the company has launched baby water that is "sterile, low in sodium, and lightly mineralized," claiming that it is produced through high-temperature sterilization and aseptic production lines, thus ensuring the safety of drinking water for infants. In addition, the product packaging also states that the indicators of heavy metals and other substances harmful to the human body in this water are lower than the national standard.

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Oxygen-rich water : The effect of oxygen-rich water is even more "magical". Some businesses stated when promoting oxygen-rich water that when the human body is lacking in oxygen, many adverse consequences will occur. Drinking oxygen-rich water can increase the oxygen content in the human body, and thus play a certain health care role, such as anti-fatigue and anti-aging.

Enzyme sparkling water : As enzymes are accepted by more and more people, some businesses have launched enzyme sparkling water. Many buyers are attracted by the 232 kinds of plants in the ingredient list, and they say that drinking this bottle of water is "like drinking a whole vegetable market", and some even say that "it is not as complete as the periodic table". The merchants claim that due to the addition of enzyme ingredients, this water has the effects of regulating the intestines, losing weight, and helping sleep.

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Suspected of collecting "IQ tax"

So, are these “high-end waters” worth the money or just a “tax on IQ”?

The sterility emphasized by "baby water" is actually not that mysterious. Tap water has been strictly purified before entering the home. Consumers only need to boil the water to achieve the sterilization effect. "Before entering thousands of households, tap water will be strictly purified and sterilized in the water plant." Experts said that if someone is worried about the presence of chlorine in tap water, they can open the lid and boil it for another 2 to 3 minutes after the water is boiled, so that the chlorine in the tap water will "run away".

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As for oxygen-rich water, it is also a mystery . Not to mention that after the bottle is opened, the oxygen will quickly escape under the pressure. Even if it is drunk into the stomach, it is difficult for the oxygen to be absorbed by the human body through the mucous membrane of the digestive tract. "Drinking" oxygen to replenish oxygen is not reliable.

"In addition, free radicals will be produced when people are in an oxygen-containing environment, which is also one of the main causes of human aging. If the human body takes in more oxygen, more free radicals will be produced, which will accelerate human aging ." Experts believe that the so-called oxygen-rich water is a kind of "IQ tax."

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Regarding enzyme sparkling water, enzyme is the Japanese name for enzyme. The light industry standard "Enzyme Product Classification Guidelines" issued by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology defines enzyme as: a product containing specific biologically active ingredients obtained by microbial fermentation with animals, plants, fungi, etc. as raw materials, with or without auxiliary materials. Enzymes are often advertised to have weight loss, anti-cancer, anti-aging and other effects, but the actual effects may not be completely ideal .

Many e-commerce platforms sell enzyme sparkling water, which does not contain much enzyme and is manufactured in accordance with GB/T 10792, the same standard as most carbonated beverages . Experts say, "Enzyme is just a selling point for this water. Enzyme sparkling water is not much different from regular water."

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Concept hype

In recent years, various "high-end waters" have emerged one after another. Many of them seem high-end and full of technological content, but in fact they are just hype concepts to collect "IQ tax" from consumers.

The General Rules for Beverages issued by the former General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and the National Standardization Administration clearly stipulates that packaged drinking water is divided into three categories: drinking natural mineral water, drinking purified water, and other drinking water. Among them, other drinking water is further divided into drinking natural spring water, drinking natural water, and other drinking water. In terms of standards, China only has the National Food Safety Standard for Packaged Drinking Water and the National Food Safety Standard for Drinking Natural Mineral Water.

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However, in order to truly curb concept speculation and prevent consumers from being deceived, in addition to strengthening popular science propaganda and guiding consumers to improve their health literacy and discernment, it is also necessary to crack down on false propaganda by businesses. Only in this way can the speculation of the "high-end water" concept be fundamentally curbed and the legitimate rights and interests of consumers be protected.

Source: Science Popularization China WeChat Official Account

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