water

The late great George Carlin said it best, "When did we get so thirsty in America? Is everybody so dehydrated they have to have their own portable supply of fluids with them at all times?"

And it turns out, that fancy bottled water may not be all its cracked up to be. In fact, unlike municipal, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have little authority to regulate the bottled stuff.

Drinking cold water, some researchers say, can help you burn a few extra calories. The science behind it is fairly straightforward; because the temperature of the water is far colder than that of your body, you burn a few calories warming it up. As you can tell, I'm not all that impressed.

Functional beverages are this year's buzz product. Almost every week a new kind of enhanced water or drink is hitting the shelves.

One of these drinks is Activate - which, despite looking like any other flashy new drink - has a completely different mechanism for combining vitamins with liquid.

Very recently Canada became the first country to ban baby bottles made with the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA). The substance is commonly found in bulletproof glass, computer cases, eyeglass lenses, CD's, but also finds its way into reusable water bottles, sippy cups and storage containers. The reason for precautionary ban is the possibility of BPA leaching out when plastics come in contact with food or water.

8 glasses - that's what most people think they need as a daily requirement. Copious water intake is supposed to keep organs functioning properly, skin supple and body weight at bay. Nonsense! - say researchers from the University of Pennsylvania who conducted a study to test these theories (which will be published in the June issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology).

We all know that our bodies need water, but nobody quite knows exactly how much. Let's take a look at where this misconception began, shed some light on water and hydration and look at some more realistic water goals.

PepsiCo have announced they will sell a "diet" version of Gatorade.

There is something slightly oxymoronic about this. It's a bit like a "less-active" cyclist eating a low-carb banana.

We all know the importance of adequate hydration. However, water consumption requires a balance of sorts and it's entirely possible to drink too much water. Over-hydration and hyponatremia - although rare - can be a problem (particularly among endurance athletes).

What do the experts really say about water intake? How can you ensure you drink the right amount?

From the strange-products-from-japan department comes Diet Water... the perfect weight loss beverage.

I wondered if this picture was a photoshop job - until I found another Japanese "Diet Water" product.

Towards the end of last year - a whole line of Kellogg's "protein-enhanced" foods started appearing on shelves. The growth of the beverage industry never ceases to amaze me.

Kellogg's K20 water contains just 5 grams of protein in a 16oz bottle. Along with that you get 8 grams of sugar (plus some Splenda) - all for $1.50 per drink.

There seems to be an abundance of flavored water available these days – whether it's Dasani, Propel, or Fruit2O. Most are sweetened with aspartame, Ace-K, or Splenda. However, I recently tried a great-tasting flavored water with none of the chemicals – Hint water.

Along with the phenomenal growth of diet sodas (and all their variants), there is a new kind of diet drink emerging. These new drinks claim they will actually aid in weight loss. Claims range from appetite suppression, to boosting metabolism, and even burning calories.