There are numerous misconceptions, myths and false health claims made for many of the beverages we consume. On the other hand, some are actually true. Here is part one – eight claims clarified, verified or debunked.
1) We MUST drink 8 glasses of water every day. MYTH
Indiana
University School of Medicine professor of pediatrics Dr. Aaron E. Carroll and
Dr. Rachel C. Vreeman, Director of Research at Indiana University Center for
Global Health:
“There’s
nothing wrong with liking water, but there is no scientific proof stating that
you need to drink anywhere near eight glasses a day. One doctor who has made
this his research focus, Dr. Heinz Valtin, searched through many electronic
databases and also consulted with nutritionists and colleagues who specialize
in water balance in the body. In all of his research, and in all of the
research we conducted to double-check his work, no scientific evidence could be
found to suggest that you need to drink eight glasses of water a day. In fact,
scientific studies suggest that you already get enough liquid from what you’re
drinking and eating on a daily basis. We are not all walking around in a state of
dehydration.”
2) Drinking water removes toxins from your skin. MYTH
There is no
evidence for this, and studies are scarce, for obvious reasons:
“In fact
such studies are rare, partly because water can’t be patented, so it is hard to
find anyone to fund such research when there will be no new medication or
cosmetic to sell that could repay the costs.
A review by the dermatologist Ronni Wolf at the Kaplan Medical Centre in
Israel found just one study looking at the effect of long-term water intake on
the skin. But the results were contradictory. After four weeks, the group who
drank extra mineral water showed a decrease in skin density, which some believe
suggests the skin is retaining more moisture, while those who drank tap water
showed an increase in skin density. But regardless of the type of water they
drank, it made no difference to their wrinkles or to the smoothness of their
skin.”
3) 25% of bottled water sold in the United States is
actually municipal tap water. FACT
“About 25% of the bottled water sold in the United States comes straight out of a tap. It can cost over 1000 times as much as tap water. The FDA requires bottlers to identify what type of water is in every bottle. If the label says ‘from a community water system’ or ‘from a municipal source’ or something similar, you are buying the equivalent of tap water.
“The bottler might treat municipal or community water so that it meets the United States government's definition of ‘purified water,’ ‘demineralized water,’ ‘deionized water,’ ‘distilled water,’ or ‘reverse osmosis water.’ It can then be labeled with those names.”
4) Fluoride added to water is harmful. MYTH
“Simply put,
the refusal of water fluoridation doesn’t have any scientific support. A review
on fluoride’s effect on IQ out of Harvard was waved about as the main
scientific opposition, but has since been thoroughly refuted. Decades of
studies in different cities in different states, involving millions of people,
have concluded that there is a safe level of fluoride–one part-per-million–that
can be added to water for enormous benefit to our teeth and oral health with
little to no adverse effects.”
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/but-not-simpler/why-portland-is-wrong-about-water-fluoridation/
5) Vitamin water and other fortified drinks deliver on
their health claims. MYTH
6) 20% to 30% of the average person’s fluid intake comes
from food. FACT
----90 to
99% of the following are water: cantaloupe, strawberries, lettuce, cabbage,
celery, spinach.
----80 to
89% of the following are water: apples, grapes, oranges, carrots, pears,
broccoli.
----70 to
79% of the following are water: bananas, avocados, potatoes (baked), shrimp.
----60 to
69% of the following are water: pasta, legumes, salmon, chicken breast.
Various authors, “Fancy A Drink?” New Scientist, 11 March, 2017
7) Drinking too
much soda increases the chances of getting type 2 diabetes by 26%. FACT
“Based on
data from these studies, including 310,819 participants and 15,043 cases of
type 2 diabetes, individuals in the highest quantile of sugar-sweetened
beverages (SSB) intake (most often 1-2 servings/day) had a 26% greater risk of
developing type 2 diabetes than those in the lowest quantile (none or <1
serving/month) …….. In addition to weight
gain, higher consumption of SSBs is associated with development of metabolic
syndrome and type 2 diabetes. These data provide empirical evidence that intake
of SSBs should be limited to reduce obesity-related risk of chronic metabolic
diseases.”
8) Artificial sweeteners are considerably sweeter than
regular sugar, possibly resulting in an increased craving for sweet food and
drinks. FACT
Aspartame –
(Equal®, NutraSweet®) -- 180 times sweeter than sugar
Acesulfame –
(K Sunett®, Sweet One®) -- 200 times sweeter than sugar
Saccharin –
(Sweet’N Low®, Necta Sweet®) -- 300 times sweeter than sugar
Sucralose –
(Splenda®) -- 600 times sweeter than sugar
Neotame –
(No brand names) -- 7,000 to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar
Advantame –
(No brand names) -- 20,000 times sweeter than sugar
Related Posts
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Assessing 8
MORE Beverage Myths, Truths & Fibs http://www.mybestbuddymedia.com/2017/04/assessing-8-more-beverage-myths-truths.html
Confronting The Global Soda Marketing Machine http://www.mybestbuddymedia.com/2016/01/confronting-global-soda-marketing.html
Detox Diets & Cleanses: Murky Claims That Need A
Scrubbing http://www.mybestbuddymedia.com/2015/04/detox-cleanses..html
Bottled Water Rip
Offs: 4 Misleading Water Additives Your Body Doesn’t Use http://www.mybestbuddymedia.com/2014/06/bottled-water-rip-offs.html
Energy Drinks:
Dangers & Hyper-Caffeinated Comparison Chart http://www.mybestbuddymedia.com/2013/05/energy-drinks-risks-hyper-caffeinated.html
Photo: http://www.beveragedaily.com/
Jerry De Luca is a Christian freelance writer who loves perusing dozens of interesting and informative publications. When he finds any useful info he summarizes it, taking the main points, and creates a (hopefully) helpful blog post.
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