No it’s impossible – you would die. Urine contains waste products like ammonia and is high in sodium that is toxic to the body in high amounts. If you drank your own urine you would be concentrating the urea in your bloodstream and poison yourself. You can only really expect to survive if you find a source of fresh water.

Published on Apr 12, 2014

So you find yourself in the middle of the desert without any food or water. What do you do?

Assuming that you didn't get there in an RV with a fully stocked mini refrigerator, or in a crashed commercial aircraft with several food and drink carts, you truly have a problem.

You whip out your survival handbook and quickly flip to the chapter on desert survival technique.

Finding water.

Step one, look for any nearby lakes, rivers or streams. Negative.

Step two, wait for a storm and collect rainwater. Negative, perfectly clear skies above.

Step three, find nearby plants or cacti and squeeze water from leaves or cactus pulp. Negative, no plants to be seen.

Step four, many foods contain water. Negative, like I said, no food. In fact, foods with a low water content may actually worsen electrolyte imbalance, especially if high in salt content.

Step five, drink urine. Okay, I made that one up. But you're becoming delusional from dehydration and it seems like a logical option.

Published on May 15, 2013

Greg Foot, presenter of The Secrets of Everything, explains whether you should drink your own urine if you happen to get stranded on a desert island. http://eden.uktv.co.uk/shows/secrets-...

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