Kirata -> RE: Conservative opposition to drinking water (9/22/2013 3:53:09 PM)
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Experts: White House H2O evidence murky "Water is the first and best energy drink," Michelle Obama said. public health experts contacted by POLITICO said they had concerns about the way the White House was framing the campaign. Those experts said the health benefits of increased water consumption are murky and there are no widely accepted criteria for how much water individuals should drink each day... "There really isn’t data to support this," said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb of the University of Pennsylvania. "I think, unfortunately, frankly, they’re not basing this on really hard science. It’s not a very scientific approach they’ve taken... To make it a major public health effort, I think I would say it’s bizarre." Goldfarb, a kidney specialist, took particular issue with White House claims that drinking more water would boost energy. "The idea drinking water increases energy, the word I’ve used to describe it is: quixotic," he said. "We’re designed to drink when we’re thirsty... There’s no need to have more than that..." In recent years, news outlets ranging from NPR to Reuters to Mother Jones have run stories suggesting the claim that Americans don’t drink enough water or need to drink, say, eight glasses a day, is an urban myth... The First Lady’s office referred questions about the scientific claims to the Partnership a for Healthier America, which pointed POLITICO to experts supportive of the campaign. None cited scientific studies showing, for example, that a modest amount of extra water could boost energy or stamina in an otherwise healthy person... Some similar efforts overseas to promote water drinking have run into trouble. A Hydration for Health campaign targeted at European doctors came under fire for presenting shaky evidence to support ads on the British Medical Journal website... "The more water we drank, the better we felt," Mrs. Obama said. However, drinking large amounts of water can be dangerous and even deadly, if the body’s balance of electrolytes is disturbed. Marathoners, fraternity pledges and military trainees have died after drinking a large volume of water in a relatively short period of time. Some were likely overreacting to calls to stay hydrated. Thanks Ken, that was fun. K.
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