In Japan, it is apparently common to add oxygen to bottled water.
But this isn't standard H20. It's a new mix containing 12 to 15 times as much oxygen as regular water.
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"It's totally different. It's delicious!" says Ms. Nagisa, a 23-year-old fashion design student. "And it will make my skin look good."
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The key to this success is consumers such as Yuki Kamioka, a 48-year-old supervisor at a Tokyo advertising agency. She finds oxygen water more refreshing than regular water -- especially when she's swimming laps. "I try to drink it as much as I can," she says.
Later on in the article:
Koji Ishida, a health professor at Nagoya University in central Japan, studied the heart rate and endurance of a group of students who drank oxygen water while exercising. He found it had no effect.
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But he says he won't buy one again. "It just tasted like regular water to me." Then he drops some change into a vending machine -- and selects a bottle of iced tea.
Evidence seems thin. The health research cited at Nagoya covers only hearth rate and endurance, which may not be the only potential effect. Is there any independent evidence that there is any beneficial effect to humans of any kind to drinks with extra oxygen added — apart from placebo effects and effects on corporate profits?
