Oh FFS: First lady's push to drink more water draws criticism

[n2doc]

A sign of our divided times: Even a first lady project encouraging people to drink more water is drawing criticism.

Michelle Obama travels Thursday to Watertown, Wis. — naturally — to promote a new program by her Partnership for a Healthier America to encourage people to drink more water.

"Drink just one more glass of water a day and you can make a real difference for your health, your energy, and the way you feel," Obama said in a statement. "So Drink Up and see for yourself."

Yet Politico reports several public health experts as saying that the White House is overselling the benefits of water.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/09/12/obama-michelle-drink-water-project-politico/2803417/

She could ask people to take deep breaths and the righties would respond by holding their breath until they passed out. Hey, maybe that's an idea....

[niyad]

1. trouble is, they would start breathing as soon as they passed out.

[Solly Mack]

2. Damn

[onehandle]

3. Drink more! Hell Yeah! Thanks Michelle!

Oh... water... Yeah, I drink a lot of water.

'Health experts' eh?

[n2doc]

5. Of course they do

All of her health advice has been on the mark.

[mainer]

6. If she'd said drink more water, drink less soda, it would be more obvious

Just drinking an extra glass of water isn't going to make one healthier -- but if it's in place of something sugary, then yes.

[Schema Thing]

10. actually even by itself it will help displace salt

In a world where virtually everyone agrees we are getting too much salt, drinking more water is a no-brainer. Also, just the act of drinking water is likely to reduce the amount you drink of other drinks.


I've always reasoned that, irrespective of the effects of the other ingredients in Diet Coke, I was getting a heck of a lot of water due to the mass quantities of Diet Coke I drink. Which is true, but I've recently become more aware of the effects of salt, and because of that took notice that a can of Diet Coke has 160mg of salt!

[Capt. Obvious]

7. That's it! I'm feeding my baby nothing but Cheetos

[Mass]

8. Politico must have worked hard to find these two people.

It may be that Kass argument's is not scientific, but I doubt that the notion of replacing sugary drinks by water is controversial in itself.

Also, the only professor quoted in USA Today and the one of two in politico wrote this piece in 2010 wrote a paper about the benefit or lack of benefit of more water. Here is the conclusion
http://www1.cs.columbia.edu/~unger/articles/waterNeed.html

To summarize the conclusions of other, more exhaustive reviews: There is no clear evidence of benefit from drinking increased amounts of water.7 Although we wish we could demolish all of the urban myths found on the Internet regarding the benefits of supplemental water ingestion, we concede there is also no clear evidence of lack of benefit. In fact, there is simply a lack of evidence in general. Given the central role of water not only in our bodies but also in our profession, it seems a deficit worthy of repletion.

Interesting how politico only focuses on the lack of evidence for benefit.

[postulater]

9. Of course. Water drinking is woo. Where's the placebo controlled trials?

Just not scientific enough for the woo-haters.

[MisterP]

13. the thesis that women and Mooslims are human is "woo" to a lotta people, too...

[FSogol]

11. What does Putin say about drinking water?

How about Glen Greenwald?

[zappaman]

12. IMPEACH!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rex]

17. IMPEACH THE FIRST LADY!

[cbdo2007]

14. My Mom argued with me on this point before.....

She said I drink too much water cause I said I drink water all day. She said, "You know drinking too much water can hurt you or kill you."

[temporary311]

18. Well, technically she's not wrong

you just have to drink a whole hell of a lot in a fairly short period for it to kill you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication

[Butterbean]

15. Well she's right. That's gotta sting. Again. n/t

[Rex]

16. How sad, but expected.

GOPukers should avoid drinking water at all costs!