Do drinks that are meant to do more than taste good actually provide any health benefits?

Supermarket beverage aisles are starting to look a lot more like a pharmacy. Consumer intelligence company NielsenIQ counted 53,000 UPC symbols in the U.S. functional beverage category last year, including all of the different flavors of energy drinks, sports drinks, sodas, waters, shakes and teas that are sold on the premise of enhancing mental or physical health. Amy Cassels, a health and fitness coach from Magnolia, Texas, said functional drinks appeal to her because they typically contain natural ingredients, like fruit juice as a sweetener. Cans of Olipop, a soda containing botanicals, plant fibers, and prebiotics, are shown at a Kroger supermarket, Friday, April 12, 2024, in Marietta, Ga. Frey said sales slowed a little in the U.S. last year, which she partly attributed to the relatively high cost of functional beverages. Even better might be bypassing the functional beverage aisle altogether, said Corrie Whisner, an associate professor at Arizona State University’s College of Health Solutions.