Podcast claims drinking water is a scam—a doc has the perfect rebuttal
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"If common sense was currency, even the government would not be able to bail some of you out of bankruptcy." — Joseph Acquaye, MD, urologist
“They really need an annual certification exam for podcasters because the way these people confidently share wrong information is wild. What’s worse is the fact some of his viewers are just gonna accept the information without individual research.” — Instagram user @itsmahawa
In a world of endless health trends and dietary advice, an episode of the podcast Digital Social Hour has stirred the pot with an outrageous claim: Drinking water is a scam. And doctors are firing back.
The podcast’s host, Sean Kelly, asks his guest, Gavin Mayo if water is a scam. Mayo goes on to say: “Water’s a solvent, so it dissolves in your body” and doesn’t hydrate you because it simply disappears.
“The fact that people say it’s hydrating your cells is crap. It’s not a carbohydrate, it’s not a fat, it’s not a protein. It’s literally a solvent—if you put any type of material in water, it dissolves it. That’s what it’s doing to your body,” Mayo says.
Related: 4 medical myths fact-checked against the scienceAdditionally, Mayo explains that If you want to hydrate, you have fats and juices—substances your cells can actually utilize. There’s no benefit to water, Mayo argues, suggesting that the age-old advice to drink more water is nothing more than a myth.
A doctor's take on the podcast claim
Well, Joseph Acquaye, MD, a urologist based in Georgia, wasn’t about to let that stand without a sharp rebuttal. He stitched a video of the podcast and shared his thoughts via an Instagram Reel he created.
Dr. Acquaye's response has garnered a ton of attention. In a no-nonsense fashion, he says: "If common sense was currency, even the government would not be able to bail some of you out of bankruptcy."
The doctor’s comments section was filled with agreement. “They really need an annual certification exam for podcasters because the way these people confidently share wrong information is wild. What’s worse is the fact some of his viewers are just gonna accept the information without individual research,” one Instagram user wrote.
How water hydrates the body
Dr. Acquaye’s clever quip perfectly sums up the ridiculousness of the podcast's argument. Water is absolutely essential for maintaining hydration, supporting cellular function, and regulating vital bodily processes. []
If water didn’t hydrate you, then why do your kidneys, liver, and skin all rely on it to function properly?
While it’s true that some of the water we drink is absorbed by our cells, our bodies also release water through sweat and urine, which makes replenishing fluids an ongoing need. []
In essence, you can’t just "stop" drinking water because it "disappears"—that’s exactly why we need to hydrate regularly.
Related: 8 glasses of water a day: Myth or medicine?The podcast hosts may be trying to make waves with their outlandish claim, but Dr. Acquaye is here to bring the scientific facts back into focus.
His humorous take on the situation proves that, while the internet may be full of wild opinions, good science—and a healthy dose of common sense—always prevails.