August / September 2010 Bottled Water Reporter - 30

Bottled Water: Fighting Obesity and Working to Save the Planet
By Tom Lauria, IBWA Vice President of Communications

Alarming

Drinking water— bottled or tap—is an important part of a healthy diet.

statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate the following: • 34 percent of Americans are now obese • just under 6 percent are extremely or morbidly obese • 32.7 percent are considered overweight. Those results, from the “2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey” (NHANES), were released on January 9, 2009, by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The report’s data indicate that almost three-quarters (72.7 percent) of all Americans weigh more than is healthy for their individual body types. According to the NCHS, “The prevalence of obesity in America has doubled in the past two decades.” The Robert Woods Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America’s Health have published another report that looks at state-by-state obesity rates. That June 2010 publication reveals that obesity rates increased in 28 states over the last year. More than two-thirds of states (38) have adult obesity rates over 25 percent. In 1991, no state had an obesity rate over 20 percent.

safe, healthy, and convenient beverage choice. When purchased in bulk—in 3- and 5-gallon cooler bottles or by the case—bottled water is an affordable choice when compared to other packaged beverages. A report by the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity released on May 11, 2010, highlighted the importance of drinking water. One of its recommendations is directed toward the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS): When they update their joint Dietary Guidelines later this year, the following message could be included: “Drink water instead of soda or juice with added sugar.” (Recommendation 2.1)

HOW BOTTLED WATER IS PART OF THE SOLUTION
IBWA believes that drinking water—be it bottled or tap—is an important part of a healthy diet. Good hydration, with plenty of calorie-free water, has an important role to play in solving the alarming and preventable obesity problem in the United States. Water is an excellent choice for consumers who wish to avoid or moderate calories, caffeine, sugar, or a variety of other ingredients found in packaged beverages. Millions of consumers have made the smart decision to drink bottled water to satisfy their hydration needs. Whether at home, the office, or on the go, people find that bottled water is a

To help individuals determine their personal hydration goals, IBWA’s website features a hydration calculator (http://www.bottledwater. org/content/hydration-calculator), which is based on expert resources and the most current findings of the National Academy of Sciences, as reported in its February 2004 report, “Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate.” The amount of water you need to be adequately hydrated varies depending on your temperature, weight, level and duration of exercise, and many other factors. IBWA offers this handy interactive tool to help users calculate a recommended water intake guideline that is tailored to their individual needs.

HOW MUCH WATER SHOULD WE DRINK?

Bottled Water

Despite bottled water’s benefits as a healthy, safe, and convenient beverage, some people are concerned about its environmental impact, including how many empties are recycled and the use of groundwater resources. Some have raised questions about the safety of drinking
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010

BOTTLED WATER’S SMALL ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT

August / September 2010 Bottled Water Reporter

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