Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Health "facts" that you believe to be myths and why. See if you can change my mind.

433 replies

TattyDevine · 26/02/2015 12:53

Anyone got any? I've got a couple.

First one is this bullshit that you have to drink a certain amount of water a day that isn't dictated by your body's thirst or cues, but by some arbitrary amount.

Why the hell would your body not tell you if it needed water? How have we evolved this far not realising we needed to be drinking double or triple the amount of water we feel we need to? Thirsty, have a drink. Not thirsty, don't. Like food. Hungry, eat. Not hungry? Shouldn't eat. What terrible fate will befall us if we don't drink 2 litres of water a day? And how did we evolve for thousands and thousands of years before this bit of knowledge was bestowed upon us?

2nd one - don't eat at night because you won't burn it and it will be stored as fat, but if you eat the same amount but during the day you will burn it.

Well, surely if you have done the same level of activity in a day and had the same amount of food within that day it will even out? Over a 24 hour period, I've taken in x amount of energy and burned y amount. If I took most of it in at night it makes up for the deficit in the morning. If I take it evenly over the day there was no deficit to make up for but I've still taken in the same amount and burned up the same amount.

3rd one - coffee and tea dehydrates you because it is a mild diuretic. Okay so its a mild diuretic but you are still more hydrated drinking it because it doesn't make you piss out more than what you took in in terms of extra fluid by drinking it in the first place. So it still counts as a drink. (In fact my GP surgery has a poster saying about taking plenty of fluids if you have a cold, and that it doesn't have to be water but a cup of tea or coffee is just as good). When I read that, I was so revived by the no nonsense common sense approach I had to restrain myself from licking the poster with delight.

Yours please, and try and convince me otherwise with non bullshitty science if you think I'm wrong (which I'm happy to be with a proper science-boffiny cut-down)

OP posts:
Silverjohnleggedit · 02/03/2015 06:35

I read an interesting study ages ago about how your skin develops its own fantastic balance of friendly bacteria - a bit like the gut, so you don't smell unpleasant and skin complaints are negligible. Soap destroys it almost immediately...I'd never given much thought to skin flora before.

ragged · 02/03/2015 09:32

You can kill yourself by drinking too much water, it's not bollocks at all, I thought everybody knew that?

AggressiveBunting · 02/03/2015 09:44

Yes, that's totally true- a couple of people have died of it during marathons in the UK.

squizita · 02/03/2015 10:28

Yes and it's one of the dangers of taking E. Several people have died clubbing due to water "overdosing".

Sadly I read of a little boy hospitalised a couple of summers ago. Sad Whoever was caring for him was forcing adult sports/summer levels of water down him. They thought they were bring super healthy.

Lweji · 02/03/2015 11:38

The main problem is that salts are also essential. That is the purpose of isotonic drinks when/after exercising.
Personally, I each crisps. Blush

0x530x610x750x630x79 · 02/03/2015 13:13

When I was at university several male friends of mine tried the hair is self-cleaning thing. Even after several months they still reeked, so I'm not buying it - even if it's technically true, naturally clean hair isn't clean to our artificial standards.

at bloke at my office proudly proclaims he hasn't used shampoo for years, when he leaves the room we all say "yes and can't you tell"

AggressiveBunting · 02/03/2015 13:35

i once got over hydrated on an ultra marathon. It was a really weird feeling. It's like you need to pee right then- can't hold it- and then 5 minutes later, the same thing. You also feel really shit and have to take salt tablets/ electrolytes sharpish so you don't collapse.

TattyDevine · 02/03/2015 18:08

Yes its a salt thing with the water overdose/electrolytes isn't it. I think you can have a cardiac arrest.

I think it takes more than 7 litres though in a day for the average person (don't try this at home kids)

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread