Water wins the health oscars.

Five hundred years after Ponce de Leon discovered the Fountain of Youth in Florida, water is once again the fountain of health for most Americans. In a recent survey of 554 Consumer Network shoppers, water ranked at the top of a 68-item health list for shoppers under the age of 50 and a close second to vegetables for shoppers over 50. More than 90% of the "younger" respondents at least try to drink water regularly to stay healthy, and 75% say they really do drink water regularly to stay healthy. Among the over 50s, who are more entrenched in the habits of a lifetime, 86% try and 69% succeed in remembering to drink water regularly to stay healthy.

With belief and perception supported by distribution, convenience packaging, and advertising, it isn't surprising that bottled water consumption increased 50% from 1996 to 2001 and, according to both Coke and Pepsi, is still growing strong.

According to Beverage Marketing: A Pepsi spokesperson says that Pepsi's research shows water is 'right in the sweet spot of consumer trends' and that 'bottled water will continue to grow at an extraordinary level in cold channels and pick up even more in large format as consumers look for better-for-you refreshment beverage alternatives. Coke's brand director for adult brands (Dasani and diet CSDs) suggests growth will continue over the next several years 'in the double-digit range' and cites the importance of the 'wellness trend consumers' interest in healthy beverages.'

The health-primacy of water is fascinating in many respects.

* Belief in the health value of water is of very long standing, which reinforces its value at a time when trust in most people, information sources and products is very low.

* Consumers have long used healthy waters as cures of choice for mind and spirit as well as physical health. In Little Women, heroine Jo finds the money to take Beth to the seaside in a last ditch effort to save her life. From Baden Baden to Saratoga Springs, the waters of famous spas served as restoratives, invigorators and health maintenance options for centuries. My grandmother lived out a Latvian-Russian tradition of taking long winter vacations at the water's edge, inhaling health in the freezing sunshine of Lakewood, NJ or Brighton Beach, NY, dressed in fur coats lined with newspapers for an extra layer of warmth. Coming in from the cold, she drank very hot water (no tea or sugar!) with lemon to prevent sore throats.

* Today, bottled waters are taking business away from both soft drinks and juices.

* Today, water availability (and scarcity) could become the critical problem of the 21st century.

* Today, the explosive proliferation of flavored and enhanced waters is blurring the difference between water and punch.

* Today, the growing number of consumers who are working at increasing their bottled water consumption is helping to drive the growth of the market for incontinent products. In spite of its health virtues, increased drinking could be inadvertently contributing to our national overweight problem via fluid retention and to the sales of sleep aids, as more and more 50+ consumers find themselves losing sleep by waking up to void.

* In spite of water's stature as the gold standard of health, water has little or no perceived value as an ingredient. The time may come when advertising a product such as juice as 90% water might not only attract attention but also enhance its value. Top 15 Things Shoppers Eat, Drink or Do To Stay Healthy

342 Younger 211 Older

Shoppers Shoppers 1. Water 91% 86% 2. Vegetables 89% 91% 3. Fresh foods 86% 89% 4. Fruit 82% 87% 5. Home cooking 82% 81% 6. Vitamins 69% 81% 7. Poultry 67% 77% 8. Whole grains 64% 64% 9. Protein 62% 67% 10. Milk-Low fat 60% 68% 11. Fish 59% 58% 12. Leaner beef 53% 47% 13. Low fat products 53% 56% 14. Juice 50% 56% 15. Tea 47% 51%