Every few years, a new sports drink, gadget or shoe bursts onto the scene, promising to revolutionize endurance performance. Enter oxygenated water—marketed as a performance booster for runners and cyclists alike. The concept sounds amazing—more oxygen in your water equals more oxygen in your blood, which means faster times and stronger legs. But before you swap your usual hydration routine for this so-called magic elixir, let’s take a closer look at what science actually says.
Can oxygenated water improve athletic performance? In this blog, @NBTiller and I discuss findings from a study showing oxygenated water improves cycling performance… Read here: pic.twitter.com/Welzl2IMEt
— Asker Jeukendrup (@Jeukendrup) February 19, 2025
A big claim from a small study
Oxygenated water has been around for years, promising everything from better endurance to faster recovery. (While both have bubbles, oxygenated water differs from the popular carbonated water you buy at the grocery store, with one containing dissolved oxygen, and the other containing dissolved carbon dioxide.) Most of the fancy (and often pricey) oxygenated products rely on fancy marketing and wishful thinking. But recently, a new study made waves, claiming that an “oxygen-nanobubble beverage” could boost cycling performance by 2.4 per cent and sprint power by a whopping 7.1 per cent. On paper, those numbers are huge. But should we all start stocking up?
Too good to be true?
Before tossing your money at bottled bubbles, it’s worth asking: what does the research say? According to Asker Jeukendrup, a sports nutrition researcher and educator, and Nick Tiller, an exercise scientist and researcher at Harbor-UCLA, who carefully reviewed the study, this single paper goes against a long line of studies that found zero benefits from oxygenated water. When a single study contradicts years of research, it raises a red flag. If it contradicted past research with strong evidence and plausible science, that might be exciting. But in this case, the explanation just doesn’t hold water.
The science problem
Here’s the big question: how would drinking oxygen improve performance? We breathe in oxygen through our lungs, not through our stomachs. The study’s authors point to an animal study suggesting the intestines might absorb oxygen—but no human studies have ever confirmed this in meaningful amounts. In fact, the math shows that even if tiny amounts were absorbed, the energy gain would be so small it wouldn’t help you run more than a metre. Even more suspicious: sprint performance supposedly improved, but sprints rely mostly on anaerobic energy, not oxygen.
The placebo effect is real
If the science doesn’t back it up, what explains the results? Likely belief. When athletes think they’re consuming something that will help, performance often improves—not because of the product itself, but because of mindset. The authors of the paper mention placebo in passing, but it’s probably the most plausible explanation for these head-scratching results.
A conflict of interest?
There’s another twist: the study was funded by Avrox, the company that sells the oxygenated beverage. While company-funded studies can still be legitimate, it’s impossible to ignore this factor when big claims aren’t backed by strong science—especially when the company’s website also makes exaggerated promises.
The takeaway
Hey, I love bubbles in my water as much as anyone, but I’ll stick to the inexpensive (CO2) kind. If you like the taste or feel good about drinking oxygenated water, go for it—just know you’re likely paying for belief, not a performance boost. For a real edge on the competition, you’re better off sticking to solid training, good nutrition and maybe a little caffeine. The science on those is airtight.
