In a confusing move, the European Union has declared that water can’t prevent dehydration.
Yep, the EU’s head-scratch-inducing proclamation came in an effort to regulate the bottled water industry. Not only did representatives of the EU make this claim, it took them three years of investigation to decide to ban the bottlers from claiming that use of their product will prevent dehydration.
The Telegraph reports, “A meeting of 21 scientists in Parma, Italy, concluded that reduced water content in the body was a symptom of dehydration and not something that drinking water could subsequently control.”
Call me crazy, but drinking water, even if it comes out of a bottle and not a tap or a stream, seems like it would combat not having enough water in a body. Ask the bank robber stuck in the chimney who died of dehydration if he wouldn’t have wanted a drink of water. These scientist were not involved in the study that claimed drinking water before meals leads to weight loss.
Although I will say that as consumers we do need to reduce the number of plastic bottles we use. Even if the contents of the bottles won’t ease dehydration, the plastic can be recycled into houses or turned into sailing vessels. And for those interested, learn how cats drink water without getting wet, and no bottles are involved.