The Science-Water

[mcpsych]

Please read this if you have any questions about the science around diets. You will not be able to post a reply. If you want something added or changed or a new piece of research done please PM mcpsych ( if you are challenging the information please include your proof)

[mcpsych]

WATER – You can lead a horse to water but you shouldn’t force him to drink more than he needs
On January 12, 2007, a 28-year old Californian wife and mother of three children died from drinking too much water. Her body was found in her home shortly after she took part in a water-drinking contest that was sponsored by a local radio show. Entitled "Hold Your Wee For A Wii," the contest promoters promised a free Wii video game machine to the contestant who drank the most water without urinating.
It is estimated that the woman who died drank approximately 7 litres of water during the contest. When she and other contestants complained of discomfort and showed visible signs of distress, they were laughed at by the promoters and even heckled.
This tragic news story highlights the importance of understanding why drinking too much water can be dangerous to your health.
Whenever you disregard your sense of thirst and strive to ingest several glasses of water a day just because you have been told that doing so is good for your health, you actually put unnecessary strain on your body in two major ways:
1.Ingesting more water than you need can increase your total blood volume. And since your blood volume exists within a closed system - your blood circulatory system - needlessly increasing your blood volume on a regular basis puts unnecessary burden on your heart and blood vessels.
2.Your kidneys must work overtime to filter excess water out of your blood circulatory system. Your kidneys are not the equivalent of a pair of plumbing pipes whereby the more water you flush through your kidneys, the cleaner they become; rather, the filtration system that exists in your kidneys is composed in part by a series of specialized capillary beds called glomeruli. Your glomeruli can get damaged by unnecessary wear and tear over time, and drowning your system with large amounts of water is one of many potential causes of said damage.
Putting unnecessary burden on your cardiovascular system and your kidneys by ingesting unnecessary water is a subtle process. For the average person, it is virtually impossible to know that this burden exists, as there are usually no obvious symptoms on a moment-to-moment basis. But make no mistake about it: this burden is real and can hurt your health over the long term.
Forcing your body to accept a large amount of water within a short period of time - say, an hour or two - as several contestants did during the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest can be fatally dangerous to your health. Here's why:
If you force large amounts of water into your system over a short period of time, your kidneys will struggle to eliminate enough water from your system to keep the overall amount at a safe level.
As your blood circulatory system becomes diluted with excess water, the concentration of electrolytes in your blood will drop relative to the concentration of electrolytes in your cells. In an effort to maintain an equal balance of electrolytes between your blood and your cells, water will seep into your cells from your blood, causing your cells to swell.
If this swelling occurs in your brain, the bones that make up your skull hardly budge. The result is an increase in intracranial pressure i.e. your brain gets squeezed. Depending on how much water your drink in a short period of time, you could experience a wide variety of symptoms, ranging from a mild headache to impaired breathing. And as occurred recently in the tragic water-drinking contest, it is quite possible to die if you drink enough water in a short enough period of time.
So how much water should you drink to best support your health?
The answer to this question depends on your unique circumstances, including your diet, exercise habits, and environment.
If you eat plenty of foods that are naturally rich in water, such as vegetables, fruits, and cooked legumes and whole grains, you may not need to drink very much water at all. If you do not use much or any salt and other seasonings, your need for drinking water goes down even further.
Conversely, if you do not eat a lot of plant foods and/or you add substantial salt and spices to your meals, you may need to drink several glasses of water every day.
Regardless of what your diet looks like, if you sweat on a regular basis because of exercise or a warm climate, you will need to supply your body with more water (through food and/or liquids) than someone who does not sweat regularly.
Ultimately, the best guidance I can provide on this issue is to follow your sense of thirst. Some people believe that thirst is not a reliable indicator of how much water you need, since many people suffer with symptoms related to dehydration and don't seem to feel a need to drink water on a regular basis. My experience has been that most people who are chronically dehydrated have learned to ignore a parched mouth. If you ask such people if they are thirsty and would like a piece of fruit or a glass of water, they will almost always realize that they are indeed thirsty.
Some people suggest observing the color of your urine as a way of looking out for dehydration. The idea is that clear urine indicates that you are well hydrated, while yellow urine indicates that you need more water in your system. While this advice is somewhat useful, it is important to remember that some chemicals (like synthetic vitamins) and heavily pigmented foods (like beetroot) can add substantial color to your urine

Drinking and Walking
Exercise such as walking causes the metabolism to rise and body water to be lost through increased respiration and sweat. Walkers should drink a large glass of water an hour before walking, then drink about a cup of water every 1.5 km. When you finish walking, drink a glass of water. Guidelines for the marathon and half-marathon now say to "drink when thirsty" rather than pushing water, in order to prevent hyponatremia - drinking too much without replacing electrolytes.

As you are not allowed sports drinks while on Cohens you will need to consider how to add these electrolytes , such as in the use of Himalayan salt etc.

Continued in next post- read on

[mcpsych]

Medical Facts

This is not a game. There are real and significant risks involved. There is no evidence to support drinking more than 2 extra litres per day ( up to 3 litres as recommended by Dr Cohen)
There is no evidence to support drinking 1 litre per 25kgs of weight. Let’s assume the author started at 184kg This would require over 7 litres of water per day. A camel couldn’t do this.
The excess consumption of water will have negative physical effects. ( You will note that when on a drip in hospital it is not fresh water but Saline solution that goes into your vein)

Excess water consumption will result in a loss of electrolytes, vitamins and minerals. You will feel more tired and have less energy, you may become disoriented and confused. Your Kidneys will have to work harder and may be permanently damaged. Your cells will swell as they retain water- this includes brain cells.
This can cause fits, coma and death.
Conclusion
DR C states in your plan to drink 8-12 glasses or 2 - 3 litres of water per day(1 glass equals 250mls) . The maintenance guidelines say "continue drinking 8-12 glasses of water per day". Not 1 not 4 not 7 litres. There is no justification or science that would indicate any benefit to this action.
Regardless of who tells you to do it, if you take excess water not only are you deviating from the program but you are also jeopardising your health.