Are vitamin-enhanced waters worth the money? (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net photo)

These drinks – like Vitaminwater, SoBe Life Water or Propel – taste OK, but “it’s the added vitamins and electrolytes that define them,” Ms. Huget writes. So do we need them? She talked to experts, who said vitamin drinks can help ensure you get the daily water you need, though you may not need the added ingredients.

AND WHAT ABOUT SPORTS DRINKS?

Anyone who plays sports or exercises during the hot weather months knows that drinking plenty of water is essential for avoiding dehydration. Some also favor sports drinks as way to make sure they replenish lost electrolytes, such as sodium or potassium.

In a separate post on the newspaper’s “The Checkup” blog, Ms. Huget says that while drinks like Gatorade may actually help athletes who sweat during exercise of an hour or more, “Many people who drink it really don’t need it.”

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