With ‘functional’ beverages, brands rush to quench a thirst for drinks that do more than taste good

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Supermarket beverage aisles are starting to look a lot more like a pharmacy. There are sodas made with mushrooms that supposedly improve mental clarity and juices packed with bacteria that claim to enhance digestive health. Water infused with collagen carries the promise of better skin, and energy drinks offer to help burn body fat. Welcome to the frenzy of functional beverages–drinks designed to do more than just taste good or hydrate. What started in the late 1980s with caffeine- and vitamin-laced energy drinks like Red Bull has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry. Hundreds of brands are vying for consumers’ attention with increasingly exotic ingredients and wellness-focused marketing. Nutritionists say the general trend of consumers seeking out healthier beverages is a good one. But experts also say people should be cautious and read ingredient labels, especially if they are pregnant, taking medication or have other health issues. And they should avoid empty calories and sugars that they’re not going to burn off. A 16-ounce Monster energy drink has nearly as much sugar as a regular Coke, for example. “Someone who’s running a marathon has different needs than someone who’s commuting to work,” said Martha Field, an assistant professor in the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates ingredients and requires drink labels to be truthful, and the Federal Trade Commission can step in if companies make false claims. In 2013, the FTC determined that Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice was deceptively advertised as clinically proven to treat, prevent or reduce the risk of heart disease and prostate cancer. But functional beverage makers generally make less specific claims, and the science behind them is sometimes inconclusive. “It's important to remember that everything has the potential to be both toxic and safe, depending on the amounts. The dose makes the poison,” said Joe Zagorski, a toxicologist for the Center of Research on Ingredient Safety at Michigan State University. “Since it’s difficult to determine the amount of specific compounds in many of these beverages, it’s better to proceed cautiously than to over-consume.” This article was provided by The Associated Press.