A new social media trend has nutritionists and other experts divided, with some saying the drink could cause health issues. TikTok users are following a trend where they fill 40oz jugs with water, ice, and squirts of syrup and artificial sweeteners, calling it their “water of the day”—but experts are warning against “WaterTok”. The flavored water idea was “originally invented by post-bariatric patients to increase their hydration,” Dr Al-Imran Khan, GP at Mercuri Health, tells The Independent, but is now going viral. Here’s why some experts are sounding the alarm on this trend.
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WaterTok Trend
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Putting syrup in water isn’t a good idea, some experts say. “In all honesty, water is water,” Harvard-trained nutritional psychiatrist Dr. Uma Naidoo tells CNBC. “You can get it alkalized, you can get it sparkling, but really none of these methods change the effect on your body. [The current trend] really isn’t that different from drinking Kool Aid.”
Zero Calories Doesn’t Mean Healthy
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Some of the sweeteners are designed to taste like candy, but are full of chemicals and preservatives, and offer no nutritional benefits. “Anything in moderation is fine,” Dr. Naidoo says. “But I do want people to be aware that just because it’s zero calories does not make it a healthy food. Your body may be getting hydrated, but it may be affecting you in a bad way somewhere else. I’d argue that this is not real hydration. [It’s] just a different form of drinking a sweet beverage like diet soda.”
Why Flavorings?
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The artificial sweeteners make it easier to drink more water, people say. “In a perfect world, [people] would be drinking just regular water, but we know some people just don’t like it or don’t don’t drink enough,” obesity medicine specialist and medical director of diabetes reversal company Virta Health, Jeff Stanley, told Forbes. “So, adding in a bit of [flavoring] can be helpful.”
Dangers of Artificial Sweeteners
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Consuming too much artificial sweetener is not good for your gut, research shows. “Artificial sweeteners are not benign for the microbiome of the gut,” says Ruchi Mathur, MD, a professor of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai. “We found that the richness of the bacteria in the small bowel was less in those subjects consuming non-aspartame non-sugar sweeteners when compared to controls, whereas bacterial richness in those consuming aspartame was similar to controls.”
Tooth Decay
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The sugar in some of the additives are bad for oral health, experts warn. “Some powders and syrups may contain high levels of sugar or citric acid that can erode tooth enamel and cause tooth decay,” Dr Abdul Matin Azizi, principal dentist at Harley Private Dental, told The Independent. “Sugar can feed the bacteria in the mouth, leading to the production of harmful acids that attack teeth. Citric acid can also erode tooth enamel, causing tooth sensitivity and pain. Food dyes, which are also included in many such products, can stain teeth over time.”
Health Issues
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The additives can cause issues beyond tooth decay. “Artificial sweetener or flavoring ingredients such as those used in powders and syrups to be mixed with water can lead to many health issues including cardiovascular disease or possibly early onset diabetes,” warns Dr. Khan. “If you need a bit of flavor in your water, try a slice of lemon or other natural ingredients, which are far healthier.”