My brother, Lloyd Williamson, sends a jeremiad
about drinking enough H2O:
The importance of water, are you drinking enough? We all know that water is important but I've never
seen it written down like this before.
75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is
often mistaken for hunger.
Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.
One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied
in a U-Washington study.
Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could
significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic
math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash
the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.
All of the above is true-- Are you drinking the amount of water you should every day? On the other hand, too much
water may have side effects -- see picture below.
Well, the picture didn't come through. Lloyd says I
couldn't publish it on the site anyway; my imagination runs rampant!
Are these facts true? There is probably more truth
than fiction in the above, which is widely circulated on the web. However,
see this disclaimer at Urban
Legends, and also read the Forum entry from Melissa
Hastings.
What is true that there is no doubt that the quantities
consumed by the average American of sodas, sugary fruit-flavored ades, coffee
and other trash beverages is astounding and detrimental to their health,
especially that of growing children. The calories involved are also
a factor in the increase in obesity in the USA, as well as insulin resistance
which some believe can lead to earlier diabetes.
