I DIDN’T KNOW THAT . . .

Q: What is “Vitamin O” and how does it work?

A: First off, “Vitamin O” is not a vitamin. Ads for the dietary supplement, such as recent full-page ads in USA Today, say exactly what it is: “stabilized oxygen molecules in a solution of distilled water and sodium chloride.” “In other words, it’s salt water,” says physicist Robert Park of the University of Maryland and a spokesman for the American Physical Society. There is always some oxygen dissolved in water, but at room pressure and temperature, there are only about 7,500 parts per million. Even at much higher solubilities, the amount contained in the recommended dose--15 to 20 drops two to three times per day--is far less than the amount of oxygen you get in one deep breath, he noted. A two-ounce vial of the product sells for $20. A 15-ounce bottle of generic saline solution used for cleaning contact lens--and containing the same amount of dissolved oxygen--costs less than $4. “Rose Creek Health Products seems to have correctly gauged the [scientific] sophistication of the public,” Park said. The Federal Trade Commission agrees. Last Friday, it charged Rose Creek with fraud and ordered it to return all customers’ money.