Can Drinking Vitamin Waters Improve Your Skin?

We all know that water is crucial to every cell in our bodies - as far as your complexion is concerned, H₂O keeps skin's enzymes working well so they can fight aging and help skin cells renew themselves properly.

But in recent years, a slew of "enhanced" waters have hit the market, promising to deliver a dose of nutrients along with your daily hydration. In fact, it seems like a new company gets into the game every day!

Now, Snapple has a new line of beverages with antioxidants. While their existing green, black, and white tea-based offerings already included tea's natural antioxidants, the company's new line of antioxidant waters aims to deliver a hearty dose of vitamins - all of which can help fight free radical damage to your skin.

Snapple joins several other major companies that are packaging vitamins in this trendy - and potentially more user-friendly - way: Coca-Cola bought Glaceau (the company that makes Vitamin Water) last year.

It has also launched a product called Enviga, a sugar-free, green tea-based beverage. There is little research into Coca-Cola's latest offering beyond in-house studies, so I can't comment fully.

But at this point, I say "it can't hurt!" And if Enviga packs as much green tea - one of the most powerful and best-researched antioxidants around - as the company claims, it could definitely help.

In other enhanced-water news, Anheuser-Busch has taken over the distribution and marketing of BORBA Skin Balance Waters, which are specially designed with the skin in mind. There are several varieties, but the Age Defying Skin Balance Water is my personal favorite - it includes the antioxidant flavanoids of acai to slow the signs of skin aging.

Bottom line: Why not give enhanced beverages a try? (And no, I do not work for any of these companies!) They're certainly a better bet than sodas - which have no redeeming nutritional value - and can help supplement the nutrients you deliver to your skin topically.

These products are not, however, a substitute for a good multivitamin, a well-rounded diet, or proven skin-strengthening antioxidants like green tea and coenzyme Q₁₀ supplements.

Right now I prefer the BORBA waters because they have no calories - however, when I'm in the market for a treat, the Snapple Antioxidant Waters (particularly the Agave Melon flavor) taste great!

There's just one important caveat: Beware sugar, which can age skin through glycation - that's the process by which sugar enters the bloodstream and bonds to vital proteins like collagen and elastin, speeding skin aging.

While some of the beverages I've mentioned contain no sugar (like Enviga or the BORBA products), others are high in both sugar and calories - so while they're not a bad splurge from time to time, they're certainly not everyday treats.

Wishing you great skin!

By Leslie Baumann, M.D.
From Yahoo health