Water, water everywhere, but no real need for it. Why do people not believe this?

[ElderLemon]

The evidence is clear that unless we are elderly, we can just drink when thirsty and be absolutely fine. The need for x litres per day is just made up bollocks. But I know from multiple threads over many years that many, if not most, people on here will down right refuse to believe this. Is it just that people don't like science? I don't know why it annoys me so much, live and let live etc. But when I see all the health and beauty articles repeating it I get enraged, I really do. Anyone else? www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/dec/09/is-it-true-that-we-should-all-drink-more-water?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

It is - lots of people seem to translate that as plain water, but really any fluid will do. You're not going to dehydrate because you have coke or orange juice instead of water on a hot day!

Adequate hydration is almost certainly not equal to optimal hydration. Just like having blood results within the "normal" range doesn't mean that level is optimal. And science will never consider this because it's not in their best interest to do so.

In the current obesity crisis, people eating to meet their fluid intake is not the best idea in the world if a nice glass of water will meet that need! Some people feel hungry when they actually need a drink.

If you are going to laud evolution as your plan for human survival, you may wish to remember that humans come with enormous amounts of redundancy. 1 child is 5 making it to adulthood, most people dead by 40, that sort of thing. The whole point of things like civilisation, healthcare, education etc is to get between ourselves and natural wastage.

Another interesting paper.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07853890.2019.1628352#d1e474

A multidisciplinary consensus on dehydration: definitions, diagnostic methods and clinical implications

I think it also depends where you live - here in Queensland, our temps are hitting 35-40 and the humidity is off the chart. Waiting until thirst hits isn’t a very wise move - hello severe heatstroke!

I don't drink water unless I make an effort to. Before work I have tea. I can go all day not having a drink as I don't think about it and don't get thirsty. Sometimes 6 hours into the day I remember that I haven't had a drink at all. My kidneys are fine.

You're wrong I'm afraid. A litre of coffee may not be as effective at hydration as a litre of water, but it will still hydrate you.

You need to brush up your research skills and apply some critical thinking to your 'googling'.

I like water. It's refreshing and it makes my head feel clearer. I don't know what anyone is finding funny about adults with water bottles, I feel like your sense of humour has to be a bit lacking if someone having a drink is somehow hilarious to you. Luckily I work from home so no one is there to be amused or repulsed by the glass of water on my desk. It's not exactly a harmful recommendation to advise people to drink two litres a day, it's not a vast amount and if you don't want to do it then don't. It seems quite easy to ignore!

@Porcuporpoise ,

I think you are confusing modern medicine and water!

We can’t evolve to know when we need ibuprofen or antibiotics but animals have coexisted with water as long as they have existed!

Do you think most animals are also chronically dehydrated? If not, why do you think humans are different?

Perfect... But the problem is that people quite often mistake thirst for hunger and we have a massive obesity problem in this country. If we can convince people to drink more water before they are shove a mars bar in their face then we might still have the NHS in a generations time.

This country is horrifically unhealthy! I wish the worst thing people did was drink too much water!

But then what will we attention seek by doing next? Think of the children for god sake.

The MN ad on your thread will enrage you even more, perhaps 🤷🏾‍♀️

You sound like one crispy lady

Lots of people don't reliably pick up cues from their bodies in certain situations. Autism, ADHD, and dementia can all interfere with signals received from the body. Menopause may mean you need more water than previously to avoid uncomfortable dryness.

I think it’s just common sense really. Your brain is made up of give or take about 70% water. Your kidneys need water to help flush toxins out of your body and the high levels of sodium that a lot of people consume on a daily basis. It aids a healthier sleep, has been shown to decrease anxiety, helps regulate hormones, is good for your skin and just generally better for your overall well being. Don’t underestimate the power of drinking water as opposed to fluids that are pumped with all sorts of preservatives and shite.

There is an increasing amount of consumption of caffeinated drinks which all contribute to electrolyte and fluid imbalances. The amount of people I know who just live off coffee and energy drinks is worrying.

Unless you’re drinking copious amounts all in one go then it’s absolutely fine and good for your urinary tract and digestive system. If you don’t drink enough you put yourself at risk of UTIs and will suffer more with headaches and migraines and have poorer gut health. You need a much more frequent intake of water than you do food. You can live much longer without food than water for good reason.

All the information to support this is available if you take the time to look for it, it’s not a myth it’s just science.

I think that the everyday definition of ‘thirsty’ in the English language is having an active desire to drink water or a (non-alcoholic) drink - it’s the body’s trigger to rehydrate. So it can be completely accurate for someone to say they’ve not been feeling thirsty even if they are experiencing symptoms relating to dehydration.
Two people can get up in the morning and one feels hungry and wants breakfast immediately, the other prefers to wait before eating. In the same way, people’s internal relationship between hydration and thirst differs between individuals.

If you are going to laud evolution as your plan for human survival, you may wish to remember that humans come with enormous amounts of redundancy. 1 child is 5 making it to adulthood, most people dead by 40, that sort of thing. The whole point of things like civilisation, healthcare, education etc is to get between ourselves and natural wastage.

Humans evidently haven't all evolved sufficiently to weigh up risk vs benefits.
Kids arguing the toss with a teacher about ingesting anything in a lab vs being a wee bit thirsty for an hour or so could be training for a Darwin Award...

The (somewhat excessive) focus on water, it occurs to me, is only possible because of the stage of civilization we're at. For much of human history water has come with a potential side dose of bugs etc. A few centuries ago you'd definitely have wanted dilute wine or 'small beer', until the popularisation of tea.

Most of the residents in DM’s (dementia) care home, simply wouldn’t drink plain water, so as well as tea and coffee, they gave them several small glasses of weak squash during the day, plus various ‘watery’ foods, such as soup and stewed fruit/jelly with custard.

Lots of people these days seem to confuse thirst with hunger

Some people are harking back to the ‘good old days’ where it wasn’t common to carry a water bottle around. Go back two or three decades and loads of people were carrying packets of fags around instead! I think drinking water regularly is a healthier habit.

@GooseberryBeret but that's my point - people don't understand what feeling thirsty actually feels like, which is why so many people are saying "I don't feel thirst" but then listing a load of symptoms of thirst.

Of course everyone feels things differently but it seems like a lot of people are totally out of touch with what their bodies are telling them.

IMO it's quite worrying that so many people are unaware of what basic needs like thirst actually feel like.

I was starting to wonder if I was going mad. Yes, this was my interpretation of the OP, too.

You're absolutely right.

My apologies to everyone