A Firm Resolve

20/20 Story on Bottled Water vs. Tap Water

In a recent John Stossel 20/20 story called "Too Good to be True" about bottled water, John Stossel concludes that bottled water tastes WORSE than tap water and that there no difference in the waters in terms of their impact on your health.

While I agree that there is no difference between bottled and tap water in terms of the impact on health, I disagree with the metric John Stossel used for the conclusion.  All he did was to compare the amount of E. coli in each of the bottled water and tap water sample (conducted by Dr. Aaron Margolin of the University of New Hampshire).  I say "no duh!"  Tap water contains fluoride and trace amounts of chlorine which keep the water clear of microorganisms.

Now, about taste.  Here's the results that John Stossel came up with in a misguided small sample size taste test:

1. American Fare (Kmart water)
2. Aquafina
3. Iceland Spring (tie)
3. New York City tap water (tie)
5. Poland Spring
6. Evian

I'd have to say that Stossel's conclusions are meaningless because (1) Each taste tester tried all 6 types where heaver brands (more acidic or alkalinic) can DISTORT the taste of the more pure-tasting brands; and (2) Stossel doesn't mention the magnitude of differences between the brands (are the differences significant?).

In either case, I think the ranking of the water brands puts the best tasting and purest tasting brands at the bottom (Evian and Poland Spring). 

However, Stossel did raise one important point -- 25% of bottled water is merely reprocessed tap water.  He also says that one of the ingredients of Aquafina is water from the Detroit River.  Yuck, no wonder I've always thought Aquafina was disgusting.

20/20 Ten Food Myths

20/20 recently covered Ten Food Myths.  Here they are:

1. Drink eight glasses of water per day:  20/20 says this is a myth, but I disagree.  The recommendation is the equivalent of 8 glasses of water per day, to include water from other sources like fruits and other liquids.  The truth is that some people need more; some need less.  My opinion is that it's a good goal, especially if you spend a lot of time outside in the sun or exercise a lot.
2. Expensive coffee tastes better:  No, people can't really tell - but this was based on a 20/20 test with only a few people.  Interestingly, a representative from Folgers declined to take the test, but a rep from Oren was braver (although she didn't like her own brand).  Sugar and the right milk fat can help any coffee taste much better.  BTW, Folgers came in last.
3. Margarine is healthier than butter:  Nope, margarine has gobs of trans fatty acids, which are tons worse than saturated fat.  Partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats) makes liquids more solid, so it will tend to sit in your bloodstream.  Get butter instead.  (Of course, if you buy a butter-type product with smart fat or omega-3 fatty acids or based on canola oil, these are best.)
4. Sugar makes kids hyper:  Clinical evidence shows that sugar does not makes kids hyper.  If anything, it might be the social impact of being together at a party.  Sugar is a party.  A sugar rush only lasts a few minutes, after that a person actually has lower blood sugar.
5. Don't swallow chewing gum:   Myth.  You'd have to eat 7 per day to gum up your insides.  But even then, problems are rare.
6. Green tea fights cancer:  Nope, no direct evidence.  Japan has low incidence of cancer and drink a lot of green tea, but they also get a lot of fish with healthy cancer-fighting Omega-3 fatty acids.  Massive amounts of green tea to mice can help reduce their cancer, but this equates to gallons of green tea per day for humans.
7. Beer before liquor helps you not get sick later:  Nope.  The more you drink, the greater chance of getting sick.  Many people actually get sick from drinking different types of drinks in the same night.  So beer before liquor could make you sicker.
8. Carrots help your eyes:  Most people get enough Vitamin A.  Thus, carrots won't help the eye site of most people.
9. Brand name foods are better than store brands and generic:  Seth Godin says there is no difference.  Much of it is based on the brands you ate as a kid.
10. Eating at home is safer:  Sponges are the #1 cause of food poisoning in the home.  Restaurants have to adhere to strict publishing standards.  50-80% of gastrointestinal infections aka stomach flu are caught in the home.

Here's a Google search on 20/20 Ten Food Myths if you'd like more info.