# Water Deficiency.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-deficiency/855448>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 11, 2020, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-deficiency/855448 "2020-06-11T12:29:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Kedikat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-deficiency/855448/21 "2020-06-12T02:57:51Z")

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I wonder if this is some scam by bottled water industry to scare folks into using more of their product. Very few people in North America are in a situation where they will suffer a long term individual water deficiency.

But this may pertain to areas where the water that comes out of your tap is not of proper quality. Or quantity. If any at all.

Some areas are experiencing lack of water quantity, or quality.

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**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-deficiency/855448/22 "2020-06-13T03:05:34Z")

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> [@am77494](#):
>
> There are thousands of hydration drink makers pushing their agenda over the Internet and you will find many many articles as to how hydration is important.
> 
> However, there is one simple fact no one can deny : The human body has evolved over millions of years of evolution and hence knows when to drink water. It’s called thirst.
> 
> If you want to get more scientific, then here is a quote from a very rigorous study:  
> “ There is no published scientific evidence to show that drinking beyond the dictates of thirst – that is drinking ‘to stay ahead of thirst’ during exercise – produces a more beneficial outcome than does drinking according to the dictates of thirst”
> 
> Cite : [Is Drinking to Thirst Optimum? | Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism | Karger Publishers](https://www.karger.com/Article/Fulltext/322697#)
> 
> So if you are an otherwise healthy individual, drink when you are thirsty and no more.

But there is published OHAS evidence, which is a slightly different thing. Workplaces are often structured in a way that does not allow for casual, I’ve-got-nothing-better-to-do re-hydration, and “feeling thirsty” is like any other “feeling” – it’s doesn’t happen when it is subordinated to other feelings, and it’s context-dependent and ambiguous in the same as “feeling hungry”.

The correct response for workplaces that cause dehydration is to have structured re-hydration, not to rely of workers going off-line when they feel like it. Because otherwise the workers become dehydrated – with consequent loss of efficiency.

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