In advertising claims, on social media, in daily word of mouth, and, unfortunately, sometimes even on labels, we read that a certain mineral water "helps digestion" or "makes digestion better." This isn't true. There is no mineral water with these supposedly miraculous properties. And there is no solid scientific evidence that mineral water can have a direct and guaranteed digestive effect.
If anything, the waters rich in Magnesium and sulphates can slightly promote intestinal regularity, while those with more bicarbonate can partially attenuate gastric acidity: but all of this has no impact on digestion.
Yet the message of water "aiding digestion" is strong and very easy to understand. Many people, after a large meal, look for something to make them feel better; if a water is associated with that moment of consumption, it becomes easier to distinguish it from the competition.
Furthermore, the mineral water sector is extremely rich, but equally competitive. From a chemical point of view, many waters are similar, so producers look for distinctive elements: "light", "rich in Calcium“, “low sodium,” “diuretic” (when permitted), “digestive.” These are messages that help consumers choose, but at the same time they can mislead them. In the European Union, claims on natural mineral waters are subject to specific rules, but coincidentally, they are very broad when it comes to water that “helps digestion.” A water can carry certain claims related to its composition (for example, regarding its mineral content), but it cannot present itself as a cure or claim unauthorized therapeutic properties. But in general, the word “digestive,” with all its variations (“aids digestion,” “excellent for digestion,” “what helps digestion”) is tolerated when used as a traditional or commercial description.
On the other hand, we are talking about a potentially gigantic market. If we refer to the functional dyspepsia (i.e. recurrent digestive difficulties without an evident organic cause, with symptoms such as heaviness after meals, early satiety, pain or burning in the upper abdomen), Italian studies estimate a prevalence of approximately 10-12% of the adult population.
A more recent study of Rome Foundation, which considers the set of disorders of the gut-brain interaction (not only dyspepsia, but also functional constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and other functional gastrointestinal disorders), found that 44,2% of Italian adults meets the criteria for at least one of these disorders. Within this group, the functional dyspepsia affects approximately 9,1% of the population. If approximately one in ten people regularly suffer from digestive difficulties and many others experience heaviness after meals, a message like "aids digestion" addresses a widespread need, even though scientific evidence on the specific effect of water is limited. In other words, it's a claim that addresses a problem perceived by millions of consumers, regardless of whether water has a clinically significant effect on digestion.
To clarify, a small change in the wording would be enough to achieve a more scientifically precise and consumer-friendly formulation. A sentence like:“bicarbonate mineral water, traditionally enjoyed during meals” rather than “water that helps digestion”.
Read also:
- How to read mineral water labels
- How to choose mineral water
- How much mineral water is bought: a million bottles per minute
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