Your plastic water bottle could be as dirty as your toilet

                We all know the magical qualities of water – it quenches our thirst after exercise, soothes a hangover after a big night and can even help us lose weight. However – if you are glugging your H₂O from a refillable plastic bottle – you best read ahead. Drinking water from a used bottle is as bad for you as licking a toilet seat.

                Researchers tested four types of water bottle – crew-top, slide-top, squeeze-top and straw-top – that had been used by an athlete for a week without being wasted. The bottle with most bacteria – the slide-top type – had more bacteria on it than an average toilet seat, pet bowl or kitchen sink. The proliferation of germs is caused by a lack of washing our bottles properly, a build-up of sweat plus all the germs we encounter on a daily basis. Researchers found that over 60% of the bacteria on the bottles could make people sick.

                Before you go scrub your mouth out and give that bottle on your desk the ultimate side-eye, go get yourself a straw-top, stainless steel bottle. The cleanest of the bottle types tested was the straw-top and researchers also found that stainless steel bottles were healthier option.

Apple juice best to treat dehydration in kids

                Children suffering from mild gastroenteritis and dehydration should be given diluted apple juice instead of electrolyte drinks to replace fluid losses. Researchers from the University of Calgary in Canada found that children with mild gastroenteritis and minimal dehydration experienced fewer treatment failures such as intravenous (IV) rehydration or hospitalization when offered half-strength apple juice followed by their preferred fluid choice compared with children who received electrolyte maintenance solution to replace fluid losses.