“The best type” of drinking water is H3O2, from fruits, “a more structured form of water.”
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Water pours out of the faucet on Feb. 20, 2021, in Dallas. (AP)
‘H3O2’ not better than plain old H2O when it comes to drinking water
If Your Time is short
- Something called ‘H3O2’ is touted as the best drinking water, but it’s not better than regular H2O.
Not good ol’ H2O but "H3O2" is the healthiest water to drink, a video shared on Facebook claimed.
"The best type of water is called H3O2" because it is "derived from fruits and is a more structured form of water," the narrator declared.
H3O2 can be obtained from "hydrating fruits" such as watermelon, according to the video.
The post sharing the video was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
H3O2 (three hydrogen atoms, two oxygen atoms) is a "mythical" compound that doesn’t have anything to do with fruit, chemistry professor Timothy Schmidt at the University of New South Wales in Australia, told PolitiFact.
"This has not been shown to exist, and would likely turn itself into hydrogen peroxide and water. Anything with the formula H3O2 would be unhealthy to drink," said Schmidt, who has debunked previous claims about H3O2.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration "is unfamiliar" with H3O2, a spokesperson said.
Drinking H2O is recommended.
Featured Fact-check
Registered dietician Amy Bragagnini, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, said she has not seen scientific research that suggests that water derived from fruit is better for the body than plain water.
"Water, in its simplest and cleanest form, is the healthiest way to hydrate your body," she said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends drinking water for good health — either through drinking "plain" water or through eating fruits and vegetables.
The Harvard University School of Public Health says tap water lubricates joints, maintains healthy skin, is necessary for proper digestion and is "the perfect zero-calorie beverage for quenching thirst and rehydrating your body."
The school recommends adding to tap water sliced citrus fruits such as lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit, as an alternative to flavored waters.
With no evidence to back the video’s claim, we rate the claim False.
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Our Sources
Facebook, post (archived), May 18, 2023
Lead Stories, "Fact Check: H3O2 Is NOT A Purified Version of H2O," Sept. 8, 2021
USA Today, "Fact check: Fruit does not hydrate the body twice as much as a glass of water," July 5, 2020
University of New South Wales, "Don’t fall for the snake oil claims of ‘structured water’. A chemist explains why it’s nonsense," Aug. 5, 2022
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Water and Healthier Drinks," June 6, 2022
Email, University of New South Wales chemistry professor Timothy Schmidt, May 22, 2023
Harvard T.C. Chan School of Public Health, "Water," accessed may 23, 2023
Email, U.S. Food and Drug Administration spokesperson, May 22, 2023
Email, registered dietician Amy Bragagnini, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, May 24, 2023
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‘H3O2’ not better than plain old H2O when it comes to drinking water
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