EU bans claim that water can prevent dehydration

[apophenia]

Anything which reduces the craze for buying bottled water is a good thing!

Amen brother. It's one of the biggest legal scams imaginable, and compared to drinking tap water, very unfriendly to Ye Olde Environment.

But do you know how delicious and refreshing spring water is compared to tap water? There are damn few places in France where I'll willingly drink the tap water as is, without adding flavoring agents or turning it into a hot drink.

I grew up in Duluth, MN, next to one of the world's largest freshwater lakes. For a time, the water was contaminated as a result of the mining company dumping slough from taconite tailings into the lake, but the taste rocked. It was like having a deep mountain spring hooked up to your tap -- cold, clean and delicious. Any tap water I drink can only pale in comparison to what I grew up with. Given that, still, there have been a few places I've lived where the tap water was drinkable, taste-wise, for me. Where I'm living now, the tap water isn't; not only does it taste bad, but it doesn't come out of the tap particularly cold, no matter how long you run it. Chilling it makes it almost drinkable -- almost. And disabled, I live in one of the best subsidized housing buildings in the area -- moving for water is simply not an option. If I had my druthers, and it didn't take me away from family, I'd move back for the water, and the lake. (When I was growing up, I had a semi-spiritual, semi-erotic relationship with the lake herself, who I regarded as a person/spirit -- which, I guess, is a belief I've never abandoned.)

[JimC]

Seth, you are missing the vital point. The manufacturers are implying that drinking their bottled water prevents dehydration. They are using scare tactics, advertising spin and woo to program countless people to buy their product, with its inherent glass or plastic waste, rather than visiting the tap, the water cooler or refilling their own bottle...

[Tyrannical]

Seth, you are missing the vital point. The manufacturers are implying that drinking their bottled water prevents dehydration. They are using scare tactics, advertising spin and woo to program countless people to buy their product, with its inherent glass or plastic waste, rather than visiting the tap, the water cooler or refilling their own bottle...

But people know it's just bottled water, and the dehydration prevention isn't from some secret ingredient.
Or at least they should, but when you are talking that dumb they probably don't know what dehydration is.

[Geoff]

Contains dihydrogen monoxide...

http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html

[Svartalf]

You know what, it depends on just what water it is... there's a whole range of mineral waters, that have been touted as "slimming helping" for decades, that are actually strongly diuretic and not that efficient against dehydration (read, magnesia rich waters).

[Schneibster]

Seth, you are missing the vital point. The manufacturers are implying that drinking their bottled water prevents dehydration. They are using scare tactics, advertising spin and woo to program countless people to buy their product, with its inherent glass or plastic waste, rather than visiting the tap, the water cooler or refilling their own bottle...

But people know it's just bottled water, and the dehydration prevention isn't from some secret ingredient.
Or at least they should, but when you are talking that dumb they probably don't know what dehydration is.

Seth didn't. You apparently don't either. I repeat, there are two kinds that are not prevented or cured by drinking water. Proof is already posted ITT.

[Tyrannical]

Seth, you are missing the vital point. The manufacturers are implying that drinking their bottled water prevents dehydration. They are using scare tactics, advertising spin and woo to program countless people to buy their product, with its inherent glass or plastic waste, rather than visiting the tap, the water cooler or refilling their own bottle...

But people know it's just bottled water, and the dehydration prevention isn't from some secret ingredient.
Or at least they should, but when you are talking that dumb they probably don't know what dehydration is.

Seth didn't. You apparently don't either. I repeat, there are two kinds that are not prevented or cured by drinking water. Proof is already posted ITT.

Yes I know, there are certain medical conditions where dehydration is a symptom so drinking water won't cure the disease.

[Seth]

Seth, you are missing the vital point. The manufacturers are implying that drinking their bottled water prevents dehydration. They are using scare tactics, advertising spin and woo to program countless people to buy their product, with its inherent glass or plastic waste, rather than visiting the tap, the water cooler or refilling their own bottle...

So what? Advertising is advertising, and anyone who doesn't understand that falls under the category of "there's a sucker born every minute." The claim is scientifically true and factual. What people draw from that fact is their own business. Me, I look at such a claim on bottled water and say "Yeah, you're right, it does prevent dehydration, but I'm still going to get my water from the tap."

Consumers don't need protection from true claims because it's up to them to evaluate each and every advertising claim and decide whether it is true or false and adjust their buying habits to suit their own judgment.

[Schneibster]

Yes I know, there are certain medical conditions where dehydration is a symptom so drinking water won't cure the disease.

Among other things, yes. The claim is therefore dangerous.

The flacks are trying to lie again. They got busted.

[Seth]

Seth, you are missing the vital point. The manufacturers are implying that drinking their bottled water prevents dehydration. They are using scare tactics, advertising spin and woo to program countless people to buy their product, with its inherent glass or plastic waste, rather than visiting the tap, the water cooler or refilling their own bottle...

But people know it's just bottled water, and the dehydration prevention isn't from some secret ingredient.
Or at least they should, but when you are talking that dumb they probably don't know what dehydration is.

Seth didn't. You apparently don't either. I repeat, there are two kinds that are not prevented or cured by drinking water. Proof is already posted ITT.

Yes I know, there are certain medical conditions where dehydration is a symptom so drinking water won't cure the disease.

Here's the problem with Schneibester's claim. Neither of the two types of "dehydration" he relies upon for his argument are actually "dehydration" they are both either excesses of, or lack of substances other than water (electrolytes, salt) that may be caused by loss of water in the human body. Recovery from a loss of electrolyte caused by a depletion of water in the body requires more than just the addition of water, it is true. However, the claim is that water prevents dehydration. This is absolutely true. It does not necessarily prevent the imbalance in, or loss of, other essential compounds in the blood, like salt or electrolytes, which may be caused by other medical conditions not connected to lack of water in the system. But since the definition of "dehydration" is "the process of removing water from a substance or compound" adding water absolutely prevents dehydration.

Electrolyte or salt imbalance caused by dehydration is generally lumped under the CONSEQUENCES of dehydration in Schneibster's citation, but those chemical imbalances are NOT in and of themselves dehydration. Only the loss of WATER is "dehydration."

Therefore, the claim that drinking water prevents dehydration is absolutely and completely true, even though it might not cause recovery from electrolyte or salt imbalance if dehydration has already occurred, which has not been claimed.

de·hy·dra·tion (dh-drshn)
n.
1. The process of removing water from a substance or compound.
2. Excessive loss of water from the body or from an organ or body part, as from illness or fluid deprivation.
dehydration (dh-drshn)
1. The process of losing or removing water or moisture.
2. A condition caused by the excessive loss of water from the body, which causes a rise in blood sodium levels. Since dehydration is most often caused by excessive sweating, vomiting, or diarrhea, water loss is usually accompanied by a deficiency of electrolytes. If untreated, severe dehydration can lead to shock.
dehydration
1. the process of dehydrating or removing the water from a substance.
2. the state of being dehydrated.

(Emphasis added)

[Tyrannical]

I knew someone that was suffering from dehydration for maybe a week ( I can't remember the symptoms) and she went to a doctor that told her the problem. She was quite surprised that dehydration was the problem as she wasn't thirsty.

[Schneibster]

Various things can suppress thirst. Since we're constantly shedding water, through our breath if none of the other obvious ways, it's essential we maintain liquid intake.

[Coito ergo sum]

There must be a lot of people getting dehydrated in the EU, and then those poor folks are being suckered in by the false claims that their dehydration could be "cured" by drinking water. "Holy crap! I'm dehydrated! Quick! Get me some bottled water! I read their representation that it cures dehydration, and I'm going to rely upon that claim!"

[Schneibster]

So you're in favor of false advertising?

Really?

[Geoff]

So you're in favor of false advertising?

Tautology alert...