I’ve always been fascinated by water. Its chemistry is deceptive – two hydrogen atoms latched onto an oxygen atom – two invisible gases combine to produce a most amazingly beautiful and essential substance! More than 60% of our body is water.
Do we drink enough water each day? In North America, probably not. Dehydration is subtle at first. Symptoms of mild dehydration include chronic pains in joints and muscles, lower back pain, headaches and constipation. Thirst is an obvious sign – but we need water long before we feel thirsty. Often when we think we’re hungry, we’re actually just thirsty. Another symptom of dehydration is headaches. There may be many causes for headaches, but dehydration is a common one.
How much water should we drink? Health authorities suggest at least eight glasses of water per day (64 fluid ounces, or 1.89 liters) – and we need more than that when we exercise. A lot of people find it useful to get a big plastic drinking bottle, fill it with water, and carry it around with them. One consultant I knew had a big pop bottle of water on her desk and made sure she drank it all before she went home each day.
So let’s notice the amount of water we consume today and remember to drink eight or more glasses full of that wondrous liquid.
Ken Wood
3 months ago
Geoff…see below, there are opposing opinions on every subject. I tend to agree that if your having to go to the bathroom every 1/2 hour you are drinking too much water. That’s what happens to me when I try to drink even half the amount recommended by most…the 8X8 rule.
HOW MUCH WATER DO YOU NEED?
Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Do you believe that a person needs to drink eight glasses of water every day? If you do, you will spend a lot of time running to the bathroom.
Why do so many people believe this rule? The number originally came from the National Academy of Sciences of the United States Food and Nutrition Board, which publishes recommended daily allowances of nutrients. The 1945 edition of the Food and Nutrition Board recommended: “A suitable allowance of water for adults is 2.5 liters (about 8 cups) daily in most instances.” This amount is based on the calculation of one milliliter of water for each calorie of food. HOWEVER, the Board also noted that most of the water you need is in the food you eat.
All foods contain water. Even the driest nut or seed has a lot of water in it. Furthermore, when food is digested, it is converted to energy, carbon dioxide and WATER. Most people can get the fluid the body needs from food, and they only need to drink enough water to prevent constipation.
When you eat, the pyloric valve at the end of your stomach closes to keep food in the stomach. Then the stomach takes fluid that you drink and food that you eat and turns the solid food into liquid. If you don’t drink enough fluid, your stomach takes fluid from your blood and adds it to the food in the stomach to create the soup. The pyloric valve will not let food pass to the intestines until this liquid soup is formed. Then the liquid soup passes to the intestines and remains a soup until it reaches your colon. Only then is the fluid absorbed to turn the soup into solid waste in the colon. If you do not have enough fluid in your body, your body extracts extra fluid from your stool and turns your stool into hard rocks, causing constipation.
A study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition shows that plain water is not needed as long as enough fluid is obtained from other drinks and food. Twenty-seven healthy men consumed one of two diets for three-day periods and were studied in a lab setting. The first diet included plain water while the second omitted it, relying on only foods, orange juice, diet soda, and coffee for fluid. None of the nine measures of hydration were affected.
A reasonable amount for a healthy human is one cup of water or any other fluid with each meal. If you have a problem with constipation you may not be drinking enough water, but if you are not constipated, you are getting plenty. You’ll also want to replace fluids whenever you sweat a lot, particularly when you exercise or in hot weather. Drink water whenever you feel thirsty, but there’s no health benefit from forcing yourself to drink eight glasses of water a day. Drinking too much water can be dangerous; see Hyponatremia. This is of particular concern if you are exercising in hot weather and fail to replace the salt you lose in sweat.
Journal of the American College of Nutrition, April, 2003.