Baby water, oxygen-enriched water, enzyme sparkling water...
Turn off the "high-end water" filters and see them for what they are
◎Our reporter Chen Xi
As the saying goes, water is the source of life.
Recently, the weather is extremely hot, and the water loss rate in the human body is accelerated. Therefore, it is necessary to replenish water in time to maintain a normal metabolic state.
In addition to the mineral water and pure water we drink every day, there are many expensive waters on the market, such as baby water, enzyme sparkling water, oxygen-enriched water, etc.
So, are these "high-end waters" really "higher-end" than ordinary water?
In response to this issue, a reporter from Science and Technology Daily interviewed relevant experts.
Various "magic" effects on the packaging
Some time ago, the media exposed the marketing chaos of alkaline water.
The alkaline water scam has been exposed, but there are still many kinds of water with "new concepts" on the market, such as weight loss, sleep aid, anti-oxidation... The functions are dazzling.
Let us first take a look at the "magical" effects of these "high-end water" in the mouths of merchants.
In view of the immature immune system and metabolic system of infants and young children, merchants have launched baby water with the concept of "sterility, low sodium, and low mineralization", saying that it is produced through high-temperature sterilization and aseptic production lines, so it can Ensure safe drinking water for infants and young children.
In addition, it is also stated on the product packaging that the indicators of substances harmful to human body such as heavy metals in the water are lower than the national standard.
The effect of oxygen-enriched water is even more "magical". Some businesses said when promoting oxygen-enriched water that when the human body is deficient in oxygen, there will be many adverse consequences, and drinking oxygen-enriched water can increase the oxygen content in the human body, which in turn plays a certain role. Health care effects, such as anti-fatigue, anti-aging, etc.
As enzymes are accepted by more and more people, some businesses have launched enzyme sparkling water.
Many buyers were attracted by the 232 kinds of plants that appeared in its ingredient list, and they all said that drinking this bottle of water was "like drinking an entire vegetable market", and some even said that "the periodic table of elements is not complete."
The merchant claims that due to the addition of enzymes, this water has the effects of regulating the intestines, losing weight, and helping sleep.
Suspected of being charged an "intelligence quotient tax"
So, are these "high-end water" worth the money or "IQ tax"?
In an interview with a reporter from Science and Technology Daily, Tianjin Meizhongyi and pediatrician Chen Yaqin introduced that excessive intake of minerals and salt will indeed affect infants and young children. mg/L, sulfate ≤ 200 mg/L, magnesium ≤ 40 mg/L.
"However, drinking water is not the main way for infants and young children to obtain trace elements. It mainly depends on diet, so even if the water contains certain trace elements, it has little impact on their health." Chen Yaqin said.
The emphasis on sterility of baby water can be easily achieved - just boil the water.
"Before the tap water enters thousands of households, it will undergo strict purification and sterilization treatment in the water plant." Chen Yaqin said that if someone is worried that the tap water contains chlorine gas, they can open the lid and cook for 2 to 3 minutes after the water is boiled. The chlorine in the tap water "runs" out.
"Baby water is not much higher-end than tap water, and there is no need for mothers to pay high prices." Chen Yaqin said.
Regarding oxygen-enriched water, Mei Zhen, a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, said that it is impossible to supply oxygen to the human body by drinking water.
"Even if the oxygen is dissolved into the water by means of pressurization and then encapsulated, after the water bottle is opened, under the action of pressure, the oxygen may 'run' away." Mei Zhen questioned that even if some oxygen was dissolved in the water, It is also difficult for oxygen to be absorbed by the human body through the mucous membrane of the digestive tract. It is obviously not reliable to rely on "drinking" oxygen to supplement oxygen.
"In addition, people in an oxygen-containing environment will produce free radicals, which is also one of the main reasons for human aging. If the human body takes in more oxygen, it will produce more free radicals, but it will Accelerates human aging." Mei Zhen believes that the so-called oxygen-enriched water is a kind of "IQ tax".
Enzyme is the Japanese name for enzymes. The light industry standard "Guidelines for the Classification of Enzyme Products" issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of my country defines enzymes as: using animals, plants, fungi, etc. as raw materials, with or without additives. , products containing specific biologically active ingredients obtained by microbial fermentation.
"The bioactive components include various nutrients provided by plant raw materials and microorganisms, functional chemical components of plants in natural plants, and some active substances generated by fermentation, including amino acids, peptides, vitamins, etc." Tianjin No. 1 Tan Guijun, director of the Nutrition Department of the Central Hospital, introduced that enzymes are often advertised as having effects such as weight loss, anti-cancer, and anti-aging, but the actual effects may not be completely ideal.
The reporter saw an enzyme sparkling water on an e-commerce platform. Its enzyme content is not much, and the product standard implemented is GB/T 10792, which is the same as the implementation standard of most carbonated drinks.
"Enzyme is just a selling point of this water. Enzyme sparkling water is not much different from ordinary water." Tan Guijun said.