WTF? Limit fluid intake if you have a cold?

Advice to Drink Liquids During a Cold Questioned
Thu Feb 26, 7:11 PM ET Add Health - Reuters to My Yahoo!


LONDON (Reuters) - Drinking plenty of fluids while suffering from a cold or respiratory infection could cause more harm than good, researchers said Friday.

Doctors often recommend drinking liquids to prevent dehydration but Chris Del Mar, of the University of Queensland in Australia, said not enough research has been done to prove it is good advice.

"We found data to suggest that giving fluids to patients with respiratory infections may cause harm," Del Mar said in a report in the British Medical Journal.

The body releases large amounts of a water-conserving hormone when a person has a respiratory infection such as a cold or bronchitis.

Drinking more when these levels are high could lead to fluid overload and a condition known as hyponatraemia, or low concentrations of sodium which is needed for normal body functions.

Del Mar and his team searched the medical literature and talked to experts but could not find any randomized controlled trials comparing the impact of increased or restricted water drinking during a cold.

"Until we have this evidence, we should be cautious about universally recommending increased fluids to patients, especially those with infections of the lower respiratory tract," Del Mar added.

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At least it doesn't cause cancer I guess.:rolleyes:

Just drink salt water.

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Originally posted by truth
Just drink salt water.

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Yep, many doctors advise cold-suffering patients to drink Gatorade or a similar electrolyte-fortified drink, but not for fear of hyponatremia. It's just that we tend to lose our appetites.

The hormone he's talking about is probably antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which, among other factors, is secteted in response to bronchial insult. I don't see this "researcher" point, though- most people are aware when they're full and probably not too thirsty either.

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Originally posted by Aldo
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Quit following me.;) I can't do it. Are you serious though? 25?

haha, yeah, and totally blew a no wind shot for 26, DOH!!!
I can't imagine going any higher, that world record is crazy....

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Originally posted by Viva
Yep, many doctors advise cold-suffering patients to drink Gatorade or a similar electrolyte-fortified drink, but not for fear of hyponatremia. It's just that we tend to lose our appetites.

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If ya wanna get crazy (which I am) keep a few bottles of Pedialyte in the house. It's wicked good for hangovers (saved my ass Sunday morning in Key West after a 6 hour margarita pub crawl up Duval St.), stomach flu and has all the yum yum electrolytes your sick self needs to feel better.

I think the thought process would make more sense if people were just letting their bodies fight the infection naturally, but since most people take antihistamines and other drugs that tend to dehydrate you, not to mention that most people don't drink as much water as they should to start with, I don't think it applies to most people.

That article is a crock of shi#$%.

It's pretty friggin hard for a normal person to drink themselves into hyponatremia. If you eat just about anything, you are going to get sodium in some amount, thereby avoiding hyponatremia.

You need to drink an ass load of water and nothing else before hyponatremia is going to be a problem. Before your sodium drops to dangerously low levels you will feel like shit and probably not want to drink anymore anyway. Most people get very nauseated and weak with low sodium.

Hyponatremia is not uncommon in hikers in the Grand Canyon though. The dumb asses hike all day in the heat, sweating (sodium excretion) and drink only water and eat nothing. Then they get sick and nauseated, go to the Grand Canyon Clinic and have a seizure from hyponatremia. We pick them up, fly them to Flagstaff and give them a basic infusion of Sodium Chloride for a while and they're fine.

I would pay no attention to that article.