Benefits of pounding bottled water: purified folklore
Good news for all of you haters of the plastic bottle, new research shows that slamming a bottle of water at every opportunity has no scientific health benefits. In fact, unless you live in a hot and dry climate, or you're an athlete, drinking the recommended 8 glasses of water a day does nothing for you and is totally unnecessary. Will this put a stop to the compulsive bottled water consumption that goes on around us 24/7? Probably not, but still it's good ammunition in the fight against the plastic water bottle.According to researchers from the University of Pennsylvania -- Dr. Stanley Goldfarb and Dr. Dan Negoianu -- the conventional wisdom behind drinking tons of water throughout the day is really more like health mythology. Their research found that drinking excessive amounts of water will not improve skin tone, ward off headaches, or detox your body -- this is what your kidneys do and they filter the same amount of toxins no matter how much water you gorge yourself on.
It seems like everybody has either know that person -- or been that person -- who carries a water bottle around obsessively everywhere they go. I know I've been guilty of that. According to the scientists, there's really no harm in mild dehydration. At the same time, there's no real harm in over indulging. So, if you want keep guzzling water as a hobby, that's fine too. You just might want to switch to a refillable bottle to make your hobby more eco-friendly.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-06-2008 @ 7:31PM
Deborah said...
I'm very skeptical about the study.
Water doesn't curb hunger? They don't mention that your body's cravings for water can feel like hunger so you should try water before the calories.
Water doesn't help migraines? They ignored the fact that headaches are a sign of dehydration!
Water doesn't help skin? Is it just me, or does the very term "DRY skin" seem to conflict with that? (I mean, where else does skin get the MOISTURE to stay supple?)
Forget hating on the plastic bottle; hate on the compulsive bottle-water buyers. If you live in a place like Memphis (ranked the nation's 3rd cleanest water), you have no excuse for not filling up before you leave home.
By the way, too much water for me makes me nauseous. Turns out 8 glasses should just be a guide; that everybody's individual needs vary.
Everybody can have a body with different requirements? Crazy! ;-p
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4-12-2008 @ 5:38PM
Cris said...
Perhaps the commenter "Deborah" is being a bit too black-and-white (?).
Yes, what you say is true, but the author is talking about the generalized "belief" that we NEED to pound that amount of water each day will make us healthy, while not doing much else towards *real* health. If one eats real food (veggies, fruits, etc) he/she is already ingesting water contained in them.
He's also talking about the fad factor: peeps have no idea they are drinking tap water, and full of nasty chems from sitting in that plastic polluting container. It "looks good" to walk around with one. Yes, it has become a hobbie.
http://www.thinkoutsidethebottle.org/
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