The jury’s out on the benefits of mineral water, but those bubbles sure are fun.

Grabbing a bottle of water is not as simple as it used to be. Brand after brand line coolers and grocery-store aisles: sparkling, still, glacier, spring, imported, local. Some of it simply comes from the tap, some is filtered, and some hails from natural springs. According to the Canadian Bottled Water Association, people in this country drank 1.49 billion litres of the stuff in 2003, the equivalent of 47 litres per person. That’s almost double the 26 litres per person of 2000.

To set themselves apart in a sea of products, mineral waters list their essential elements on the bottle, hoping to lure you in with the promise of calcium, magnesium, and more. But what exactly is mineral water, and do you really need what it can offer?

According to Health Canada’s Web site (www.hc-sc.gc.ca/), mineral water is simply spring water with a higher concentration of dissolved mineral salts, usually above 500 milligrams per litre. (Spring water must come from an underground source rather than a public supply.) However, mineral content of imported water may vary, the site states, “depending on specific regulations in different countries. For example, in the United States, mineral water contains more than 250 milligrams per litre of total dissolved solids.”

These solids can include elements such as silica, iron, sodium, manganese, zinc, and lithium. Some brands include only trace amounts, and some are rich in certain ones but not others. Calcium and magnesium are the major draws advertised on bottles.

In his book The Water Prescription: For Health, Vitality, and Rejuvenation (Healing Arts Press, $12.95), Swiss naturopath Christopher Vasey categorizes waters by mineral content per litre (which is often listed at the equivalent parts per million [ppm]). Water with 50 to 500 milligrams of dissolved minerals per litre is rated low to moderate; 500 to 1,500 milligrams is average; and over 1,500 milligrams per litre is high.

The jury is out, however, on whether drinking mineral water compared with regular water is actually beneficial. Vancouver registered dietician Maria Thomas of Urban Nutrition says there’s no overwhelming evidence to suggest that drinking mineral water offers any significant advantage. “The research isn’t solid,” she says in a phone interview. “It’s very scattered.…There may be a benefit, but it’s not concrete.”

She points to a January 2002 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that concluded that “regular consumption of magnesium-rich mineral water could make a valuable contribution to magnesium requirements.” An August 2006 study in the same journal concluded that “high-calcium mineral waters could provide useful quantities of bioavailable calcium.”

However, Thomas says people can get sufficient levels of these minerals through a regular, healthy diet. “Magnesium is one of those nutrients that is in small amounts in different foods,” she says, listing nuts, whole grains, and avocados as examples. People who don’t eat a balanced diet can always take a supplement. Calcium, of course, is found in dairy products and in foods like sardines. Thomas says that getting these nutrients from mineral water is “an option for someone who hates all dairy and does not want to take a supplement”.

Daily mineral requirements vary according to age and sex, but according to Thomas, adults aged 19 to 50 are advised to get 350 milligrams of magnesium daily and 1,000 milligrams of calcium.

For some, the reason for adding mineral water to their grocery list simply comes down to taste. At right, we profile three mineral waters. For information on others, see the Mineral Waters of the World Web site (www.mineralwaters.org/).

Fiji Natural Artesian Water

$2.49 for one litre at Shoppers Drug Mart (various locations)

With a map of the South Pacific on the back of the square plastic bottle, Fiji Natural Artesian Water assures you that it is, indeed, from Fiji. It’s bottled on the island of Viti Levu from subterranean aquifers, “located on the edge of a pristine rainforest thousands of miles from industrial pollutants”. Overall mineral content is low to moderate at 210 milligrams per litre of total dissolved solids. Fiji water boasts the highest natural concentration of silica of any major bottled water at 85 milligrams per litre. Silica may benefit hair, skin, nails, and bones; however, there are no Canadian guidelines for recommended dietary intake. Fiji water is not carbonated, and the taste is smooth and slightly sweet.

San pellegrino Carbonated Natural Mineral Water

$2.99 for one litre at Choices Market (various locations)

Italy’s famous lightly carbonated water comes in a distinctive green glass bottle. Produced in the town of San Pellegrino Terme since 1899, the water has an average mineral content of 959 milligrams per litre. It has a high calcium content at 187 milligrams per litre. Depending on your taste, San Pellegrino (which is now owned by Nestlé) is either on-the-way-to-flat or pleasantly effervescent.

Gerolsteiner Naturally Sparkling Mineral Water

$2.29 for one litre at Capers (various locations)

In a grenade-shaped glass bottle, Gerolsteiner comes across as a serious water. Indeed, it has a high dissolved mineral content at 1,577 milligrams per litre. It’s heavy on the calcium, at 348 milligrams per litre, and magnesium, at 108 milligrams per litre. Bottled at its namesake springs in Germany, it’s low in sodium yet tastes slightly salty. Despite its businesslike packaging, it’s enthusiastically bubbly, as a natural result of the carbon dioxide in Germany’s Volcanic Eifel. Those who like the sparkle of sparkling water may find it clean and refreshing; anti-bubblers might deem it too harsh.