Water Myths that Can Kill You

Water is the universal solvent. This phrase has stuck in my mind since 7^th grade chemistry class. It means water has the ability to dissolve anything. With all due respect to my chemistry teacher, this phrase is inaccurate because water is not truly a universal solvent. It does dissolve a lot of things, as the Grand Canyon can attest. In fact it can dissolve more substances than any other liquids. However It does not dissolve everything or else our bodies would be in a lot of trouble. There is a lot of inaccurate information about water that people like to repeat as gospel. Do you really need 8 glasses a day? Can you drink too much water? This article will let you know what some of the false information is that is floating around about water.

We've all heard it. You have to drink 8 glasses of water a day to stay healthy and hydrated. That's not quite accurate, think of this more as a rule of thumb. Some people need more and some less. Other liquids also keep you hydrated and even the food you eat can keep you hydrated. Where did this figure come from? That remains a mystery. One thing for certain is if you feel thirsty drink, but don't force yourself to chug 8 glasses of water just to meet this guideline.

You might be thinking, why not drink 8 glasses or more? You can't drink too much water. Actually you can and it can kill you. Water intoxication usually happens in athletes and infants who drink so much water it dilutes the sodium levels in their blood. On January 12, 2007 Jennifer Strange, a 28 year old mother of 3, died after taking part in a radio contest for a Nintendo Wii. The contest was to see who could drink the most water without going to the bathroom. Jennifer went home from work after reporting to a supervisor that her head was hurting really bad. Tragically she was found dead in her home hours after the contest. Her cause of death was water intoxication. Symptoms of water intoxication are nausea, muscle cramps, disorientation, slurred speech and confusion. These symptoms are very similar to dehydration causing many athletes to worsen the problem by drinking more water.

Some people think that if they drink caffeinated beverages, the caffeine acts as a diuretic so you need to drink more water to compensate. "It's true that only water is hydrating," said Ann Grandjean, Ed.D., director of the International Center for Sports Nutrition. "That is, plain water and the water in juice, milk, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages." Studies published in the European Journal of Epidemiology show a very minor increase in urine output for caffeine drinkers compared to those who did not drink caffeinated beverages. Bottom line if you are a regular caffeine consumer you don't need to worry that it will dehydrate you.

Water has long been touted as an all-purpose health potion sure to cure all your ills. There are claims that by drinking more water your skin will have a healthy glow and you will lose weight. These claims are not based on science. One thing water can cure for sure is thirst.

Sources:

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/hydrationandfluid/a/Hyponatremia.htm

http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

http://www.ific.org/foodinsight/2001/ma/truthfi201.cfm

http://www.waterintoxication.org/