“How much water should you drink in a day?”
is a simple question with a not so simple answer. There is surprisingly
little scientific research on water requirements, and health experts’
recommendations also seem to vary considerably.
However, it is clear that optimal water intake varies depending on
age, gender, activity level, diet, exercise habits, environment, body
size and composition and goals. There are special populations, such as
people with liver and kidney disease, who need to limit water intake.
Additionally, certain extreme endurance athletes or people exercise
in very hot climates may need to be careful of drinking too much water
(without added electrolytes) during training. For essentially everybody else, drinking too much water is not a real-world issue, although it is theoretically possible.
Should I Really Drink 8 Glasses of Water A Day?
In 2004, the Institute of Medicine for the National Academies
published reference intakes for water, sodium, potassium, chloride and
sulfate.
Although this report did not specify exact requirements for water, it
did make the general recommendation of 2.7 liters (or 97 ounces) of
water for women and 3.7 liters (125 ounces) for men. These numbers
include water from food (about 20% of total water intake) and beverages
(about 80%).
The common recommendation of 8 glasses of 8 ounces of water per day
is simple and provides a good starting point for most people, though
there is no scientific evidence behind this guideline. This
recommendation is, however, less than the Institute of Medicine’s
guidelines.
Another idea is to adjust water intake depending on urine quality. If
a person is adequately hydrated, his or her urine should be pale
yellow. Dark or very yellow urine signifies dehydration. The problem
with this recommendation is that there are other things (like vitamin
supplementation) that can change the character of urine.
A significant number of experts recommend allowing thirst to guide
fluid intake. This makes sense on the surface, as our bodies have
developed very complex mechanisms to control our fluid balance, and when
there is not enough fluid, we get thirsty. When adequate fluid has been
reintroduced, we stop being thirsty. However, adequate is not the same
as optimal, and in the absence of a good reason not to (like severe
kidney disease), it makes sense to drink more water (as well as other
calorie-free beverages) than thirst would have you doing.
Why You Should Probably Drink More Than What “Thirst” Tells You
- Water aids in fat loss: Drinking water before meals
reduces hunger. A research study on the effects of water and weight
loss shows that subjects who drank two cups of water before meals shed
significantly more weight than those who didn’t. Furthermore, the
subjects who continued to drink more water kept the weight off for a
year after the study’s conclusion. The reason behind this effect is
simple – water has no calories and takes up space in the stomach,
allowing people to feel fuller after consuming fewer calories.
Additionally, the brain will often mistake thirst for hunger. In this
case, a person will eat unnecessary calories when in fact the feeling of
“hunger” could have been alleviated by drinking water.
- Even mild dehydration affects exercise performance: A study done on cyclists showed that exercise time to exhaustion was impaired at 1.8% dehydration.
- Fatigue is a symptom of dehydration: You do not need to be a rocket scientist to know this isn’t a good thing.
So, How Much Water Is Enough? – Recommendations
Much as I suggest that a person who wants to lose weight should track
calories for a week before making any changes, I think it makes sense
to see how much water you are drinking now before trying to increase
intake. You may find you already drink enough water. At bare minimum, I
suggest average-sized women and men start with the Institute of
Medicine’s recommendation and work up from there. This works out to
about 3 liters for men and just over 2 liters for women. If you are
engaging in exercise, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends
drinking 17 ounces before activity and as much water as is tolerated
during activity.
If weight loss or maintenance of a weight loss is a goal, adding 8-16
ounces of water before meals is a good idea. This adds up to another 65
ounces, or about 2 liters.
In summary, I recommend active men should strive for at least
5 liters (around 1 1/3 gallons) and women at least 1 gallon per day.
Some may argue that this is on the high side, but given the health
benefits of water and its lack or adverse consequences in healthy
people, it is better to err on the side of too much than too little.
By:
Dr. Charlie Seltzer, MD | June 4, 2013 | Updated: May 24, 2013
references:
- Excess water intake can cause electrolyte imbalances which can lead to cardiac arrhythmias.
- http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2004/Dietary-Reference-Intakes-Water-Potassium-Sodium-Chloride-and-Sulfate.aspx
- http://www.khsaa.org/sportsmedicine/heat/exerciseandfluidreplacement.pdf
- If activity is going to last more than 1 hour, it is
reasonable to consider adding carbohydrates and electrolytes to the
drink. In this case, Gatorade of PowerAid are good choices.
