The Authors' Reply - Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

Thank you for the opportunity to reply to the Letter to the Editor by Dr. Maurice J. Arnaud regarding our paper:

Leibetseder V, Strauss-Blasche G, Marktl W, Ekmekcioglu C. Does oxygenated water support aerobic performance and lactate kinetics? Int J Sports Med 2006; 27: 232 - 235

We asked the subjects to drink the oxygenated water without any restriction, e.g., any special time or period of the day. As O₂-water is offered by the industry as an “activating” drink without any additional recommendations, we wanted to analyse eventual effects by a most usual and practicable way of consumption. Therefore, we think that our study was appropriate to evaluate the effects of an everyday ingestion, like it is proposed by the manufacturers. We used glass bottles - which might additionally stabilize the O₂-concentration - and we measured the concentration of O₂ in the water very accurately (as described in Methods). Still, the actual O₂-level of the water at the time of consumption was not assessable.

Our findings support the results of other studies that a measurable effect on exercise capacity by O₂-water cannot be expected, and we agree with Dr. Arnaud that oxygenated water cannot increase oxygen supply to muscle. Therefore, a recommendation for sportsmen to drink O₂-water (as it is brought into discussion by Dr. Arnaud) is difficult. At least until now, no study could show significant beneficial effects. Still, psychological and mental mechanisms might cause measurable effects, but this will have to be analysed by upcoming studies. Finally we do not share Dr. Arnaud's concerns that consuming O₂-water might cause any health risk as the net-absorption of O₂ in the gut is too low.