MYTH AND CHARLATANS

You ever hear the rule that you have to drink eight 8 oz glasses of water every day or you will wither up, dehydrate and blow away? Seems that's a myth, according to something I read today in the NY Times. We get a lot of water without even thinking about it. It's in fruit, vegetables, tea and, yes, coffee. There is no evidence that drinking more water will keep your skin smooth, wrinkle free. There is at least anecdotal evidence that drinking too much water can flush medications and electrolytes such as sodium from your body; that's definitely a bad thing. Despite the 'Drink UP campaign sponsored by our First Lady, Michelle Obama in response to a supposed fact that 40 percent of Americans drink less than half of the recommended amount of water daily, there actually is no formally recommended daily amount of water intake. How much water you drink is determined by what you're doing, how big your are and what you eat. Your body will tell you when it wants water long before you become dehydrated! I've recently been experiencing a lot of leg cramping following a hike or other exercise that taxes my legs. Drinking more water has reduced this problem: my body spoke and I responded. Yes, water is definitely a much better alternative than sodas -- with all that added sugar -- that contribute so very much to the obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemic that is sweeping the western world. Insofar as the Drink UP campaign redirects our drinking habits away from that sugary stuff, it's a winning plan.

A couple of studies of children, one in France and one in New York and Los Angeles reported that the majority of children studied were not getting enough water. This supposed lack of water was determined by a test that determines urine osmolality level, and assumed a certain 'ideal' osmolality level. However, other experiments, have shown that the osmolality levels in perfectly healthy kids range hundreds of points above and below that supposed 'ideal' level. It turns out, maybe not surprisingly, that the studies finding that kids weren't drinking enough water were supported by corporations that have vested interests in getting more of those plastic bottles into our hands: the French study was supported by Nestlé Waters, the US study was supported by Nestec, a Nestlé subsidiary. 

This reminds me that the Coca Cola Corporation, which also sells water, has provided financial and logistical support to a new nonprofit organization called the Global Energy Balance Network. This foundation promotes the argument that weight-conscious Americans are overly fixated on how much they eat and drink while not paying enough attention to exercise. At least some scientists who receive funding from the Foundation contend that there is too much emphasis on the effect of how much fast food and sugary drinks we consume in type 2 diabetes and the spread of obesity;that exercise can off-set a bad diet. Interestingly, this new Foundation is established amid the growing trend to tax sugary drinks and a global decline in the consumption of Coke and other like drinks.

Of course we don't exercise enough. Nothing wrong with that message, but evidence is that for weight loss, you’re going to get much more impact with diet changes. And,of course, the more you exercise the hungrier you become -- and the more you eat! It's about: Calories in should equal calories out.  Exercise expends far fewer calories than most people think. A 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola, for example, contains 140 calories and roughly 10 teaspoons of sugar. According to one independent expert, “It takes three miles of walking to offset that one can of Coke."

But, what's my point?   We've got to exercise critical thinking and ask questions. Who is behind the message? Who supported the published research ... or the political message? What is THEIR aim in getting us to think and act their way? There are a lot of charlatans out there.