Is Expensive Bottled Water Actually Better for You?
Is Expensive Bottled Water Actually Better for You?
昂贵的瓶装水真的对你更好吗？
Water is supposed to be the simplest thing we consume. The premium bottled water industry has transformed it into something that requires a backstory. 水本应是我们摄入的最简单的东西。然而，高端瓶装水行业已将其包装成一种需要“背景故事”的商品。
Supermarket shelves now distinguish between glacial, iceberg, volcanic, spring, mineral, and alkaline water. Restaurants are introducing water menus, while trained water sommeliers assess bottles by their mineral composition, mouthfeel, and provenance. At the extreme end of the category, Svalbarði Polar Iceberg Water sells Arctic water for as much as €100 (around $116) a bottle. 超市货架上现在区分着冰川水、冰山水、火山水、泉水、矿泉水和碱性水。餐厅开始推出“水单”，受过专业训练的品水师则根据矿物质成分、口感和产地来评估瓶装水。在这一类别的极端案例中，Svalbarði 极地冰山水甚至以每瓶高达 100 欧元（约合 116 美元）的价格出售北极水。
The category’s growth rests on a mixture of verifiable differences and carefully constructed associations. Water can contain different minerals. Those minerals can change how it tastes. But claims about purity, alkaline pH, and remote natural sources can also create the impression that expensive water must be healthier. 该行业的增长建立在可验证的差异与精心构建的联想之上。水确实含有不同的矿物质，这些矿物质会改变口感。但关于纯度、碱性 pH 值和偏远天然水源的宣传，也容易让人产生一种错觉：昂贵的水一定更健康。
According to Michael Mascha, who founded the platform FineWaters in 2002 to train water sommeliers and drag premium bottled products out of the commodity aisle, prices often reflect remote sourcing and difficult transport rather than superior health benefits. Luxury water, he argues, is better understood as a dining experience than as a more effective source of hydration. 2002 年创立了 FineWaters 平台以培训品水师并将高端瓶装水从普通商品货架中“拉出来”的迈克尔·马沙（Michael Mascha）认为，价格往往反映的是偏远产地和运输难度，而非卓越的健康益处。他主张，将奢侈水理解为一种餐饮体验，而非更有效的补水来源，会更为准确。
Does Expensive Water Hydrate You Better?
昂贵的水补水效果更好吗？
There is no established evidence that luxury water hydrates an otherwise healthy person better simply because it is more expensive or comes from a celebrated source. 目前没有确凿证据表明，仅仅因为价格更贵或产自名声显赫的水源，奢侈水就能让一个健康的人获得更好的补水效果。
“Fundamentally, true hydration is about consuming enough water throughout the day to replace daily losses rather than brand status or origin,” says Lucy Semerjian, associate professor of environmental science and technology at the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. “从根本上讲，真正的补水在于全天摄入足够的水分以补充日常流失，而不是看品牌地位或产地，”阿拉伯联合酋长国沙迦大学环境科学与技术副教授露西·塞默吉安（Lucy Semerjian）表示。
What matters most is drinking enough safe water to replace the fluid the body loses. Its chemical and microbial composition must also remain within safe limits. 最重要的是饮用足够安全的水来补充身体流失的液体。其化学和微生物成分也必须保持在安全范围内。
Are the Minerals in Bottled Water Better for You?
瓶装水里的矿物质对你更好吗？
Minerals are responsible for some of the genuine differences between waters. As water travels through soil and rock, it can absorb calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate, sodium, and other dissolved substances. Their type and concentration depend partly on the geology surrounding the source. 矿物质是造成不同水质之间真正差异的原因之一。当水流经土壤和岩石时，会吸收钙、镁、碳酸氢盐、钠和其他溶解物质。这些物质的种类和浓度部分取决于水源周边的地质情况。
These minerals are already dissolved into ionized forms, meaning the gastrointestinal tract can absorb them. Mineral water can therefore contribute to a person’s calcium or magnesium intake, although its nutritional significance depends on the concentration, the quantity consumed, and the rest of that person’s diet. 这些矿物质已经溶解为离子形式，意味着胃肠道可以吸收它们。因此，矿泉水确实能补充钙或镁，尽管其营养意义取决于矿物质浓度、饮用量以及个人的日常饮食结构。
The word “mineral,” however, does not tell consumers how much of any particular nutrient is present. 然而，“矿物质”这个词并不能告诉消费者某种特定营养素的具体含量。
“People see terms like ‘rich in minerals,’ ‘high TDS numbers,’ or ‘alkaline pH’ on a premium label and assume those are automatically markers of superior quality,” says Maria Abi Hanna, cofounder and CEO of nutrition intelligence software Food Label Maker, “when in reality none of those numbers tell you anything on their own.” “人们在高端标签上看到‘富含矿物质’、‘高 TDS 值’或‘碱性 pH 值’等术语时，会理所当然地认为这些是卓越品质的标志，”营养智能软件 Food Label Maker 的联合创始人兼首席执行官玛丽亚·阿比·汉纳（Maria Abi Hanna）说，“但实际上，这些数字本身并不能说明任何问题。”
Total dissolved solids, or TDS, measures the combined concentration of dissolved substances in water. A higher number does not function as a score for safety, purity, or health. It mainly describes the water’s mineral load. 总溶解固体（TDS）衡量的是水中溶解物质的总浓度。数值越高，并不代表安全性、纯度或健康程度越高。它主要描述的是水的矿物质负荷。
The same problem applies to alkaline water. Its higher pH is frequently positioned as a wellness advantage, but pH alone does not establish that a bottle is healthier. The stomach is already highly acidic, and the body tightly regulates the pH of the blood. 同样的问题也适用于碱性水。其较高的 pH 值常被定位为一种健康优势，但仅凭 pH 值并不能证明一瓶水更健康。胃部本身就是强酸性环境，且人体会对血液的 pH 值进行严格调节。
Consumers should instead look at which minerals appear on the label and in what concentrations. People limiting their sodium intake, for example, may have different priorities from someone specifically looking for a water containing calcium or magnesium. 消费者应该关注标签上列出了哪些矿物质及其浓度。例如，限制钠摄入量的人，其关注点可能与专门寻找含钙或镁的水的人完全不同。
Does Mineral Content Change How Water Tastes?
矿物质含量会改变水的口感吗？
Minerals may not transform hydration, but they can transform taste. 矿物质或许无法改变补水效果，但它们确实能改变口感。
“Some waters taste very light because they have very low mineral content,” Mascha says. “有些水喝起来非常清淡，因为它们的矿物质含量极低，”马沙说。
Rainwater that has had little contact with the ground may contain very few dissolved minerals. Iceberg and some glacial waters can also fall towards the low end of the TDS scale, producing a relatively light or neutral taste. 与地面接触较少的雨水可能含有极少的溶解矿物质。冰山水和一些冰川水的 TDS 值也可能处于较低水平，从而产生相对清淡或中性的口感。
At the other end, water containing upwards of 2,000mg of mineral content can have a noticeably heavier mouthfeel and a stronger flavor. Individual minerals can introduce salty, bitter, chalky, or slightly sweet characteristics. 而在另一端，矿物质含量超过 2000 毫克的水，口感会明显更厚重，味道也更浓郁。不同的矿物质会带来咸、苦、粉质或微甜的特征。
The differences are real. The leap from “tastes different” to “is healthier,” however, is usually where the marketing begins to outrun the evidence. Luxury water makes the most sense when treated as a taste category: something selected for a particular mineral profile, dining experience, or personal preference. The price is not a reliable shorthand for its nutritional value. 这些差异是真实的。然而，从“口感不同”跳跃到“更健康”，通常就是营销手段开始脱离科学证据的地方。将奢侈水视为一种“口味分类”才最合理：它是为了特定的矿物质构成、餐饮体验或个人喜好而选择的。价格并不是衡量其营养价值的可靠指标。
Is Glass-Bottled Water Safer Than Plastic?
玻璃瓶装水比塑料瓶装水更安全吗？
The most consequential thing about a bottle of water, though, may not be the water itself. 不过，一瓶水最关键的因素可能并不是水本身。
Premium brands often use glass packaging, reinforcing the perception that the water is both luxurious and protected from the concerns surrounding plastic. 高端品牌通常使用玻璃包装，这强化了人们认为这种水既奢华又免受塑料相关隐患影响的认知。
“Plastic bottles are sensitive to thermal stress, UV radiation, or extended storage times,” says Nidia Rodriguez-Sanchez, senior lecturer in physiology and nutrition at Scotland’s University of Stirling. “塑料瓶对热应力、紫外线辐射或长时间储存非常敏感，”苏格兰斯特灵大学生理学与营养学高级讲师尼迪亚·罗德里格斯-桑切斯（Nidia Rodriguez-Sanchez）表示。
This is particularly relevant in hot climates. Leaving bottled water inside a vehicle or storing it for prolonged periods at high temperatures can increase the migration of substances from PET into the water. Studies have found that heat can increase the release of antimony, a substance used during PET manufacturing, although the concentrations vary by bottle, temperature, and storage time. 这在炎热气候下尤为重要。将瓶装水留在车内或在高温下长时间储存，会增加 PET（聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯）中的物质迁移到水中的风险。研究发现，高温会增加锑（PET 制造过程中使用的一种物质）的释放，尽管其浓度因瓶子、温度和储存时间而异。
Glass is not an entirely plastic-free solution. A 2025 study led by France’s Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety, or ANSES, found microplastics in beverages packaged in glass. 玻璃并非完全无塑料的解决方案。法国食品、环境和职业健康与安全局（ANSES）在 2025 年主导的一项研究发现，玻璃包装的饮料中也存在微塑料。
The glass itself was not identified as the main source. Researchers traced many of the particles to the painted coating on metal bottle caps, which could become scratched as the… 玻璃本身并非主要来源。研究人员将许多颗粒追溯到金属瓶盖上的涂层，这些涂层在……时可能会被刮擦。