“Oh dear, you have so many pimples, drink lots of water.”

“Why is your hair so dry, drink lots of water.”

“You have gained so much weight, drink lots of water.”

All this recommendations and I always had a big question mark around my head which says, “Is water the new miracle drug?”

I knew for one that our body had 60% water in it but I could not understand how adding on to it will benefit me. Question mark again!

I decided to do some research for myself. I needed to know if it was true, all this ruckus my relatives had made around me about water.

I know that water hydrates the body and maintains moisture as required by the body, but I did not know otherwise.

So here are 5 pointers, which I noted down that can debunk the commonwater- myths.Water, my dear friends is a helper but you need to stop treating it like a magic potion.

Myth #1- Drinking cold/ warm water burns calories

This is the most famous weight loss tip which I have heard everyone giving to every one girl whom I know. And people have started believing in it and no one wants to know the science behind this.

Let me tell you this- you  burn calories when you drink a glass of cold water but it is as minimal as 8 calories! and how much do we eat? Just a light breakfast of milk and bread consists about 150 calories. Oh, Oh!

The scientific explanation behind the logic that cold water burns calories is that when we consume cold water the body uses its energy to convert the temperature to that of the body’s heat. And, really that is not much energy used.

Myth #2 – Drink ‘8’ glasses of water for good health

We are told to drink 8 glasses of water everyday and that will kepp our health up and running everyday, right? Wrong.

When we are told 8 glasses of water which glass do we measure up to. With the number of designs and sizes available on the market how do we determine which glass to drink from. Now you get the point, don’t you?

Just saying drink that many glasses is not enough. The amount of water that you drink depends on many factors. If the place is too warm/ cold you definitely need more water. It also has to with other factors like your diet, your weight, and the amount of activity you carry out in a day.

So do not set a limit to your water drinking lest you dehydrate but also do not overload yourself with the liquid because it might cause to be poisonous to you. Learn to listen to the signals that your body gives you. The next pointer explains this. Let’s have a look.

Myth #3 – Drinking lots of water de-toxifies the body

Have you heard about ‘Hyponatremia’? Well if you have not then let me explain it to you. It scared me when I learned about it. Anyway keeping me and my fears aside and keeping you right to knowledge about this term, this term implies the reduction of the levels of salt in the human body due to dilution caused by excess consumption of water. Yes, that’s what it is.

Shocked right. I was too, especially when I have my elders after my life to drink water all day long. Hyponatremia occurs because the excessive water taken in by the body cannot be flushed out as quickly by the kidneys and so the water mixes with the blood instead and dilutes it to extremity.

If hyponatremia occurs severely then it could lead to water poisoning, the symptoms of which would be tiredness, headache, nausea, vomiting, frequent urination and mental disorientation. Read more on water intoxication.

The most common group who fall into this danger zone are long distance runners as well as those who workout in gyms. Why do you think your trainer asks you just to take a sip during the breaks? You want to detoxify? Eat healthy and have a healthy lifestyle.

Myth #4 – Drinking between meals interferes with the digestive system

This also is one of the most heard of myth about water and health. It has been said that drinking some amount of water helps the digestive juices do their work faster and in the process help in weight loss.

This has not scientific proof to the debate above, however , at the most what water can help you do in case of losing weight this way is that it will fill your tummy faster leaving less room for your food, automatically making you lose weight.  That makes more sense. However, it is best avoided in case of children. Let them eat more and drink after meals. ^[1]

However, don’t end up replacing your meals with water lest you end up with hyponatremia or water poisoning. Stay fit but healthy too.

Myth #5 – Drink lots of water for glowing, beautiful, flawless skin

I love my skin and no it is not flawless but I still love it. However, my point is water does not really help in cleansing your skin. Let me tell you why? I have had many friends who drink a lot of water, they do and still the acne on their face refuses to leave. Finally one of them took a visit to a dermatologist who told her this was adult acne. You know what? She was only 23 years old.

And, No! he did not tell her to drink lots of water.

However, he asked her to stop smoking and eat less junk food as well as oily foods. She was prescribed a course of medicines for 3 months, which was painful to me, but she was cured. Acne free skin at last.

So ladies and men, please visit a dermatologist as soon as possible instead of procastinating and drinking only water to cure them pimples. You might have more than just simple acne.

So I have given these 5 pointers which I feel are myths.

 Reference

[1] Van Walleghen EL, Orr JS, Gentile CL, & Davy BM (2007). Pre-meal water consumption reduces meal energy intake in older but not younger subjects. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 15 (1), 93-9 PMID: 17228036. ^Back to Top^