Avoid extra fluids in cold, flu

There is no evidence to support the myth that drinking plenty of fluids helps someone with a cold or flu. Instead, recent research suggests that drinking lots of fluids during an illness may even be harmful in some cases. When people become ill with a respiratory illness, their bodies sometimes secrete a hormone that causes them to retain water. Consequently, if they were to drink lots of water and other fluids, they might run the risk of problems resulting from water logging of the brain. To investigate the theory whether drinking fluids helps people with colds or flu, researchers from the University of Queensland, Australia, searched archives of past studies into the topic. According to their report, not a single study had compared the effects of drinking lots of fluids versus low fluid intake in people with respiratory infections. Instead, the researchers discovered reports of ill people developing dangerously low levels of sodium in the blood, a condition that can be prevented by restricting, rather than encouraging, fluid intake. In two reports, for instance, between 31 and 45 percent of children experienced a drop in blood levels of sodium during a bout of moderate to severe pneumonia. The researchers concluded that they had found data to suggest that giving increased fluids to patients with respiratory infections may cause harm. To date there have been no randomised controlled trials to provide definitive evidence, and these need to be done. Until there is enough evidence, doctors should be cautious about universally recommending increased fluids to patients, especially those with infections of the lower respiratory tract.

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