"Drink at least eight glasses of water a day." Really? Is there scientific evidence for "8 × 8"?

[RC]

WE SEE THE EXHORTATION EVERYWHERE: "drink at least eight glasses of water a day" (17). The advice comes not only (as in the above quote) from a respected health columnist of The New York Times, but also from numerous writers in the popular press (3, 6, 10, 26, 54). Some, perhaps many, physicians counsel their patients in a similar vein, both orally and in writing. So prevalent is the recommendation that it is now commonly expressed simply as "8 × 8" (signifying that each of the 8 glasses in question must have a volume of 8 oz).

As we look around us in our daily activities, we can observe how slavishly the exhortation is being followed. Everywhere, people are carrying bottles of water and taking frequent sips from them. Prior to September 11, when there was little restriction on how much baggage passengers could carry onboard airplanes, it was common to see young professionals loaded down with luggage---garment bags, carry-ons, computers, pocketbooks---while simultaneously juggling a cell phone in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. The practice continues today, although the passengers may perforce be less encumbered with luggage. It is perfectly acceptable to sip water anywhere, as during lectures, seminars, and conferences. A colleague has told me he estimates that something like 75% of his students carry bottles of water and sip from them as they attend lectures; indeed, a pamphlet distributed at the University of California Los Angeles counsels its students to "carry a water bottle with you. Drink often while sitting in class..." (3). I have seen a professional concert pianist walk onstage carrying a glass of water, and a well-known columnist bring his own bottle of water to his interview on a nationally televised talk show. For some, the bottle has even become a security blanket: recently, as I listened to a postdoctoral fellow presenting a seminar, I observed that whenever his flow of words stopped momentarily, while he contemplated the next sentence, he would, seemingly unconsciously, pick up a bottle of water from the table, unscrew its top, and replace it, without ever taking a sip.

This review deals with the origin of our new national habit of 8 × 8. How did it start? Is there any scientific evidence that supports the recommendation? Does the habit promote good health? Might it be harmful?

>The Rest @<
http://ajpregu.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/283/5/R993

It is a good read. Gets your mind of Hillary as president for a while.

[alfredo]

1. Sometimes thirst is confused with hunger. A midnight snack might

actually be in response to thirst.

[Quantess]

35. True! You may think you're hungry when you're actually dehydrated.

Drinking 8 glasses of water daily is a documented weight loss / weight maintenance tactic.

Drinking water with your meal also prevents overeating.

[alfredo]

37. And don't drink soda, even if it is "diet." Diet soda is a false choice.

[blogslut]

2. Thanks for the link. I will read it later

But yeah, the 8 glasses a day thing is specious at best:

http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

[BlueJazz]

3. I could never drink that much water every day. I'd feel like a....

... perpetual bloated Blimp.

[stevedeshazer]

4. Having read your post thrice, I don't understand it.

What's the point? :shrug:

[RC]

20. Click on the link and start reading.

That is where the point is.

[parasim]

5. I imagine that "requirement" was dreamt up by the marketing department of Evian

...or some such.

[NeedleCast]

9. That requirement has been around a lot longer

than most of the trendy bottle waters, at least in the hand held size.

Drinking a lot of water is good for just about everything that keeps your body functioning.

[Uben]

6. The logical explanation

.....at least to me, is that water helps the body cleanse itself of impurities, passing them through urine. Our bodies are made up of mostly water, men 60% and women around 55%. When we are born, that number is 78%, but drops to about 65% after one year of age.

[rzemanfl]

7. I had kidney stones lithotripsied and one broken up mechanically

and taken out through my "equipment," just before Xmas. Drink water. Especially if you live in the Sunbelt and are male. I was wide awake when they took out the stent a week or so later-no fun.

[Coexist]

8. Ouch. I feel your pain. I had a kidney stone. Felt like labor with no purpose.

[rzemanfl]

10. I don't know what labor feels like. I was sent home the same day

and really suffered for the next few.

[Neshanic]

11. Yes, when you live in the desert you need to drink that amount. Kidney stones here too.

[AlCzervik]

12. i drink almost a gallon of water a day but i have a filter on my fridge which may or may not

really work but thats where my water comes from.

[Desertrose]

13. Would you run your car with too little oil??

Then why do that to your body?

I live in the desert and we exhale about a liter of water daily...so 8 X8oz is not even really enough.....

Dehydration is no fun....the headache & body aches are really really nasty.

I have a feeling a lot of people are chronically dehydrated & don't realize it.

Coffee,tea & alcohol actually work to dehydrate you even more.

[Kingshakabobo]

14. Coffee,tea & alcohol actually work to dehydrate you even more?

Ruh-ro!

That's all I drink!

Seriously though, I feel ten times better when I manage to gulp down a couple glasses of water throughout the day. I can't seem to manage 8 glasses.

[AlCzervik]

15. i drink a lot of coffee, too much and thats why i also drink a lot of water.

where i live during the summer it gets stupid hot with almost no humidity so lots of water is a must.

[NeedleCast]

18. Need to look at total water intake

Generally, the food you eat accounts for 15-20% of your water needs for the day. Other beverages count as well, but are not as good as plain old water.

Also remember, it's not needing eight GLASSES of water per day, it's eight cups (think measuring cups), or a total of about two liters.

You need more if you're sweating a lot, especially in high evaporation areas (hot and dry).

Foods that most people like (citrus fruit, watermelon, cucumbers) are almost 90% water by weight. Eat a slice of watermelon or a couple of oranges in a day makes up for a cup or so of water so if you're having trouble drinking enough water, try adding water-rich food to your diet.

[Quantess]

44. soo.........

you drink coffee, tea, alcohol, and a lot of water.
Tell us, are obese?

[NutmegYankee]

49. Not really.

Even if you drink nothing but tea or soda, you are still getting water, even with increased losses. Your body isn't going to suck down like a prune.

As my evidence - the mass amount of people who drink nothing but soda, tea and coffee. (oh, and assurances from doctors as well)

[IDemo]

17. Hmmm...

Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe

1. People should drink at least eight glasses of water a day.

The article authors found no scientific evidence for this advice, although they found several unsubstantiated recommendations in the popular press. The source may be a 1945 article from the National Research Council, part of the National Academy of Sciences, which noted that a “suitable allowance” of water for adults is 2.5 liters a day, although the last sentence noted that much of it is already contained in the food we eat.

“If the last, crucial sentence is ignored, the statement could be interpreted as instruction to drink eight glasses of water a day,'’ Dr. Vreeman and Dr. Carroll noted. “Existing studies suggest that adequate fluid intake is usually met through typical daily consumption of juice, milk and even caffeinated drinks.'’

[Desertrose]

42. Hmmm...from your link

#49

How about this headline:

NEWS MYTHS EVEN EDITORS BELIEVE!

Although the majority of the public not living in La-La Land knows this, a study by the Independent Medical Writers Association has found that large numbers of editors at the prominent news outlets in the United States believe the following myths:

1) The New York Times publishes reliable facts.
Everyone who uses even 1% of their brain knows that the Grey Lady has Alzheimer’s. Not only is the majority of the “news” in this publication slanted toward a particular political bent, it is frequently not even remotely connected with any fact.

2) The New York Times can be relied upon to correct its mistakes. Again, one of those myths which anyone with any sense knows never happens.

3) The New York Times is a valuable news resource. Along with the Bob Jones Times, Isvestia and Pravda during the 1980’s, the John Bircher, and all papers formerly published in the Soviet bloc.

4) Everybody believes what they read in the New York Times. If “everybody” is the gullible dingbats who inhabit the caverns of Manhattan, well, then, ok. If it is the folks who live in the real world, well, duh, wrong again.

— Posted by Another MD

~

Post #53

The article says “We used Medline and Google to search for evidence to support or refute each of these claims.

[Quantess]

45. Good response.

:rofl:

[undeterred]

16. Its the toilet paper makers.

They're the ones who benefit from all that peeing. :hi:

[Glenda]

26. LMAO!!

:spray:

Always look for the money trail

[undeterred]

39. Can you spare a square?

Note: Reference will only make sense if you are a Seinfeld fan...

[Ellen Forradalom]

19. I've always wondered why it wasn't pegged to body size

Why doesn't the quantity vary with body size? It's 8 x 8 whether you're five feet or six, 95 or 250 lbs.

[supernova]

21. Exactly, Ellen

I'm 5 ft tall and very seldom can drink 8x8.

I can get in usually 5. I can do 6 or 7 or possibly 8 if it's really hot and I've been doing lots of work.

[RC]

23. That alone should have made someone since 1947 stop and think.

Excerp from an e-mail I receive today:
Just read in the Wpg Free Press that Dr's here have done a study on water intake for people and have found that 6, rather than 8 glasses of water is not only enough, but recommended. Apparently, overindulging in water can lead to kidney problems. This hasn't been reported yet, study done in Waterton, Ont, and findings were accidental.


There is such a thing as too much water
Study links excessive fluid intake, kidney failure
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscriber/health/story/4110293p-4706638c.html

Fri Jan 18 2008

By Sharon Kirkey

CANADIAN doctors are warning that drinking too much water may cause loss of kidney function -- something they discovered purely accidentally.
Researchers who have been studying the health of residents of Walkerton, Ont., since the water supply was contaminated with E. coli in 2000, identified 100 otherwise healthy adults who had a condition called proteinuria, or abnormal amounts of protein in their urine. None had any medical conditions or were on medications that would explain why.

Proteinuria can cause kidney failure and is a sign of microvascular disease, where the heart's tiny arteries are damaged, causing cardiac disease and cardiac death.

Of the 100 people, 56 agreed to follow-up testing and to reduce their fluid intake to fewer than eight large glasses per day for one week.

The result? The cases of proteinuria were "largely reversed."

More at above link - - -

[Ellen Forradalom]

33. Overconsumption of water before or during marathons

(hyponatremia) can lead to serious problems or, rarely, death.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9407E2D8143BF931A35752C1A96F958260">When Too Much Water Hurts a Runner

[Quantess]

36. The reason? It's because everyone is first assumed to be an idiot.

Then you can figure it out for yourself.

[Ilsa]

22. I have tried to drink a full gallon a day, and I can't, not under normal

circumstances. It dilutes my electrolytes too much, leaving me dizzy.

8x8 is only a half gallon, correct? I could handle that on most days, especially if I am running a heater hard, if it is too dry outside, or if I am in the heat of summer.

[dorkulon]

24. I just can't drink that much.

I had a girlfriend who tried to force me, but it was just unpleasant.

[Ikonoklast]

31. Dude, she was waterboarding you n/t

[dorkulon]

34. LOFL

I should sue!

[burythehatchet]

25. The practical effects of drinking water all day long (for me)

Fewer headaches
Less intense allergies during spring
More energy
Better GI function

Its the easiest, most effective therapy.

[Neurotica]

27. 8 x 8 is no longer the rule

From what I understand, this number varies from person to person -- some people need more liquid intake depending on their physiology, activities, etc.

Also, liquid no longer has to be all in the form of water. Various things you eat and drink count as "liquid" (e.g, fruits, vegetables, milk, etc.). I believe even coffee contributes some percentage toward your liquid intake, despite the fact that it is a diuretic. (Info is from my mother, who is a dietitian)

With respect to people carrying water, I don't think they are doing this to follow a dietary rule. I carry water to meetings and appointments because I tend to get thirsty.

[Ilsa]

28. I hae always found that drinking to my level of thirst is most helpful. The

exception might be for persons who may not be thinking clearly due to brain disorders, or other medical issues.

[postulater]

29. Some recommendations are

half you body weight in ounces of water per day, rather than just a fixed amount for everyone.

That means if you weigh 200#, you would drink 100 ounces per day. That's over twelve eight ounce glasses. Some people drink that in beer a day.

[Evoman]

30. Meh. I only drink when I'm thirsty and eat when I'm hungry.

It's worked well for me. I obviously don't wait until I'm dessicated, but my body tells me when I need water. When it's hotter, I drink more. When I eat lots of food with high water content, I drink less.

Eight glasses of water is too much.

[Desertrose]

32. Depends on your body and where you live.

I live in the desert. 8 glasses a day is not enough for me....our humidity runs in the single digits. You lose a lot of water from breathing and from your skin and you are not even aware of it.

[NorthernSpy]

38. your hypothalamus will tell you when you need to drink water...

Unless you have certain medical conditions, you can trust your hypothalamus to know what's best.


People who force themselves to drink water when they're not thirsty can end up creating an electrolyte imbalance.

[Hippo_Tron]

47. That's generally what I do, except when I was a cross country runner

I didn't really have to force myself to drink water so much as I would always have a bottle and just kinda drink it by habit. Turth be told I ended up peeing most of it out.

[Xenotime]

40. You can reduce your carbon footprint by not drinking so much.

[radfringe]

41. scam by the corporate toilet paper makers

the more you drink the more you pee the more you pee the more you have to wipe

[ldf]

43. this high water intake is probably supported

by those very same people who tell us guys if we pee more than eight times a day we have prostate problems.

well, i DO have prostate problems, but, lets count pee times....

we ALL have to pee when we wake up...
1 (contrary to popular belief, it doesn't CAUSE the woody, but accompanies it...)

we have a couple of cups of coffee at work...
2

after lunch, with fluids, another pee...
3

you also drink some water, some cola, some tea, whatever, late afternoon pee...
4

you go home, kick back, have a brew (or whatever), early evening supper, another pee...
5

you pee before you go to bed...
6

once during the night...

7


so, if you work ONE more pee in, during 24 hours, you now need one of those drugs that make you want to bond with your buddies, go fishing, standing in the river, boating, having a REALLY GOOD time, happy, laughing,.....(also note visual imaging, with something, like a fishing pole, boat equipment part that is essentially a big, hard POLE, strangely juxtapositioned to be originating in your CROTCH... and not a WOMAN in sight?)

what more could you want???

hey, doc, i pee eight times a day. i insist that you give me some of that feel good, male bonding, happy times drug that will give me a big, hard dick! with my buddies, no less!!!

gee, what mixed messages we receive! :-)

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

46. It's Good Advice To Have That Intake.

What many people may not realize though, is that the volume does not need to come from water alone, and that even water from coffee, soda, fruits or other sources is included in the calculation.

[Hello_Kitty]

48. Let your thirst guide you. That's the best strategy.

If I'm fairly inactive and drink a lot of fluids all I seem to do is run to the bathroom a lot. Yet if I'm very active I will crave water and not have to void as much. A guy I knew who was well versed in human anatomy told me the best way to tell you were getting your requisite fluids was if you were peeing one clear stream per day. Meaning that at least one time your pee should look like water. If you were barely straining a deep yellow, that means you are not hydrating enough.

Is that clear? :rofl: