Time to revise survival priorities. is water essential?

bonniebede

Thank goodness for the EU who can now set our minds at rest. It seems that all our skills for finding and purifying water in emergency sits are not needed, because water does not solve dehydration problems.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/8897662/EU-bans-claim-that-water-can-prevent-dehydration.html

Ah, the follies of decadent empires...

krissovo

I thought the US claiming pizza is a vegatable was as low as it goes but this takes the pi$$.

In fairness some drinks do advertise extreme hydration which is what I think this targets even if its done in a misguided way.

seamus

Less hysterical articles on it here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-lay-scientist/2011/nov/18/1

http://www.forbes.com/sites/nadiaarumugam/2011/12/01/eu-bans-bottled-water-claim-that-water-prevents-dehydration-ludicrous-or-just/

It's really a technical pointless ruling that euroskeptics have decided to run away with.

Tabnabs

A good balanced piece in the Guardian article.

The bit I think is most relevant is

Firstly, "regular consumption" of water doesn't reduce the risk of dehydration any more than eating a pork pie a day reduces the risk of starvation. If I drink half a pint of bottled water while running through a desert in the blistering sun, I'll still end up dehydrated, and if I drink several bottles today, that won't prevent me from dehydrating tomorrow. The key is to drink enough water when you need it, and you're not going to get that from any bottled water product unless it's mounted on a drip.

Secondly, dehydration doesn't just mean a lack of water, or 'being thirsty'; electrolytes like sodium are important too. If salt levels fall too far, the body struggles to regulate fluid levels in the first place. That's why hospitals use saline drips to prevent dehydration in patients who can't take fluids orally, and why people with diarhhoea are treated with salt-containing oral rehydration fluids. Presumably the next big investigation at the Express will expose the shocking waste of NHS money on needless quantities of saline solution, when jolly old tap water would work just as well.

This is a sensible ruling as it doesn't pander to industry and corporations who are trying to apply misleading labelling to their commercial products. Unlike the US and their ridiculous pizza = vegetable ruling. A bit of experience in very hot and arid climates will demonstrate very quickly that water alone will not prevent dehydration.

bonniebede

seamus wrote: »

It's really a technical pointless ruling that euroskeptics have decided to run away with.

But that was my point. It was a technical pointless ruling.... which will have cost a lot of taxpayers money to arrive at.

but mostly was just amused, sorry if it didn't hit your funny bone, it tickled mine...:)

Coriolanus

They didn't have a choice but to give their judgement. The EFSA was asked by two scientists who work for the food industry whether or not they could include a given phrase in their advertising.
They only had two option, investigate it fully and find the phrase to be true, or investigate it fully and find the phrase to be false. That's the only two actions that their remit extends to.
It's not as if they're running around looking for things to pass judgement on.

bonniebede

Nevore wrote: »

They didn't have a choice but to give their judgement. The EFSA was asked by two scientists who work for the food industry whether or not they could include a given phrase in their advertising.
They only had two option, investigate it fully and find the phrase to be true, or investigate it fully and find the phrase to be false. That's the only two actions that their remit extends to.
It's not as if they're running around looking for things to pass judgement on.

or decline to investigate, option 3. let the bottled water industry carry the cost, not the taxpayer.

Grizzly 45

Or simply leave said scientists in Parma.Get them to eat a bunch of the local delicassy ,Parma ham which has plenty of sodium in it and then lock them in the Parma ham drying rooms and offer them all sorts of other drinks ,bar water and let them discover what drink rehydrates them the quickest.Pioneering science at its best.:rolleyes:

Coriolanus

bonniebede wrote: »

or decline to investigate, option 3. let the bottled water industry carry the cost, not the taxpayer.

The EFSA don't have that option.

bonniebede

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Or simply leave said scientists in Parma.Get them to eat a bunch of the local delicassy ,Parma ham which has plenty of sodium in it and then lock them in the Parma ham drying rooms and offer them all sorts of other drinks ,bar water and let them discover what drink rehydrates them the quickest.Pioneering science at its best.:rolleyes:

rofl:D

I like your style.

BigBoi83

I always found a nice double shot of VODKA or WHISKEY was great for fighting off the pangs of dehydration :rolleyes:



What a bunch of WALLYS

how do these people get into power, for god almighty sake:mad::mad::mad:

Sparks

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

let them discover what drink rehydrates them the quickest.

It'll be fruit (probably apple) juice (assuming you don't use any isotonic brandname stuff).
Because it's water and electrolytes.
And a shooter ought to know that...

eth0

It would seem odd if bottled water had claims on it about preventing dehydration.

Like "Contains nuts" on a bag of peanuts, but worse. Really any such claims about preventing dehydration should be matched by a warning about consuming too much water just to make it even more ridiculous

Sparks

eth0 wrote: »

Really any such claims about preventing dehydration should be matched by a warning about consuming too much water just to make it even more ridiculous

...except that consuming too much water (on a regular basis, as in someone drinking several liters a day because they think it's healthy) can lead to kidney problems, circulatory problems, and so on.

And overconsumption of water on an irregular basis (eg. people drinking too much water after taking MDMA, marathon runners drinking too much water during a race, and the usual kind of stupid daft things that people do), can cause problems with electrolyte levels, blood pressure problems (and the life-threatening results that can follow, like strokes) and so on.

If we actually taught people in school about basic human physiology and so on, stuff like warning notices wouldn't be needed, but...

bonniebede

eth0 wrote: »

It would seem odd if bottled water had claims on it about preventing dehydration.

Like "Contains nuts" on a bag of peanuts, but worse. Really any such claims about preventing dehydration should be matched by a warning about consuming too much water just to make it even more ridiculous

'Drinking the contents of this bottle may not prevent dehydaration. Excessive consumption can lead to disorientation, dizziness collapse and death. Bottled on a planet where peanuts grow.'

Perhaps we have not sufficiently considered that nearly all common allergens like wheat milk eggs fish peanuts have a fairly high degree of water present in them. In fact it may be the common allergen denominator we've all been looking for. The more i think about this thre more i am glad The EU takes such good care of me.

Coriolanus

bonniebede wrote: »

eth0 wrote: »

It would seem odd if bottled water had claims on it about preventing dehydration.

Like "Contains nuts" on a bag of peanuts, but worse. Really any such claims about preventing dehydration should be matched by a warning about consuming too much water just to make it even more ridiculous

'Drinking the contents of this bottle may not prevent dehydaration. Excessive consumption can lead to disorientation, dizziness collapse and death. Bottled on a planet where peanuts grow.'

Perhaps we have not sufficiently considered that nearly all common allergens like wheat milk eggs fish peanuts have a fairly high degree of water present in them. In fact it may be the common allergen denominator we've all been looking for. The more i think about this thre more i am glad The EU takes such good care of me.

But ... people ... have a high degree of eater in them ...
Mind = Blown

Grizzly 45

Sparks wrote: »

It'll be fruit (probably apple) juice (assuming you don't use any isotonic brandname stuff).
Because it's water and electrolytes.
And a shooter ought to know that...

QED!;)
So why dont a bunch of overpaid scientists not know this??

sunita1211

Yes,

Water in itself will keep dehydration away but a glucose intake like simple sugar and salt mixed water can do the same . The bottled water which claims to be energy drinks are not safe. As mentioned by bonniebede