Does Oxygenated Water Provide Health Benefits?

Decreasing Oxygen Levels in Drinking Water - Oxygen-bearing water has been around since the creation of the earth. In its natural form, it came to us as air that has been dissolved in water through the active force of a bubbling stream or waterfall. However, with recent decades being heavily marked by rising urban growth, water pollution, industrialization, and the inherent detachment of humans from their natural elements, water has become a much modified, controlled, and overall less healthy substance. Whatever its given bastardized condition, people drink water in whatever form it comes to them. In this day and age, it's most likely there is little to no air within.

What is Commercially Oxygenated Water?

With the rise in overall concerns towards health and environment, some attention has come to commercially oxygenated water. While some brands promote and sell "oxygenated" water as a product that's merely been exposed to air, others raise the stakes by forcing greater volumes of air into water by subjecting the water to air under pressure.

Oxygenation of water under pressure can be likened to commercially produced carbonated water. Just as it is with soda pop, the product is bottled, capped, and shipped off for sale and consumption. However, just as the cap comes off, much of the pressurized gas is lost to the atmosphere. Over time, even more gas is lost if that cap is not replaced. As it is with your favorite soft drink, so it is with oxygenated water.

Despite all this, there is a market for it. But does oxygenated water provide any real health benefits?

Some Say Oxygenated Water Is Good Stuff

One website selling oxygenated water claims:

"Whenever you consume oxygenated water, it will get more oxygen into your bloodstream, it nourish your cells, the way it also helps you feel better and stay healthier while you do exercises."

Surprisingly there are plenty of other sites without any commercial affiliation that say the same thing also. Not surprisingly, few to none of them have any content either written or endorsed by a physician or other recognized health authority.

What do the health mavens say?

Clinical Testing Shows...

According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2003;290:2408-9), drinking bottled water described as "oxygenated" before exercising does not enhance athletic performance.

The study further claims that a normal human breath contains greater than 100 ml of oxygen - much more than that delivered by a bottle of oxygenated water. Therefore, the body gets more oxygen from a single breath than from a full bottle of commercially oxygenated water. Furthermore, the human intestinal tract is not made to take up oxygen. This process occurs instead inside the lungs. Conclusion? Drinking oxygenated water would not significantly contribute to raising oxygen levels in the blood.

Do Try This At Home

While the battle over the benefits of commercially oxygenated water wages on, the notion of drinking oxygen-rich water bubbling forth from clean mountain stream does sound attractive. Doesn't it?

To this effect, try this: Fill a container half-full of tap water. Take a few swallows and note the flavor. Cap it the container tightly and shake the contents vigorously for half a minute. Open the container and smell the air within. Do you detect a faint smell of any chemicals that have been just been extracted by this vigorous aeration?

After this, take a drink from your freshly shaken water. How does it taste now?

At Least for the Taste

In my experience, shaken tap water tastes better. Water that has been "naturally" shaken up is worth the effort - at least for the mere flavor. In this case, one's hands shaking the water are the "force of nature" that provide the oxygenation.

While it is proven fact that water faucet aerators (water foamers) are designed to infuse tap water with air to reduce unpalatable odors, this seems to complement the idea of getting oxygenated air (less any chemicals) into one's digestive tract is not a bad idea.

Increased water-borne oxygen better simulates the water found in fresh water streams. And while there seems to be no available medical evidence to support this, the further idea of oxygen-rich water coming into contact with (and therefore killing) anaerobic organisms is a possible benefit in the making.

Sources / References:

The Benefits of Oxygenated Water

Oxygenated Drinking Water Pros & Cons

Health Benefits Of Drinking Oxygen Water - Improves Your Cellular Health Naturally

Oxygenated Water Doesn't Improve Athletic Performance

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