The Magic of Water

One of the best known bits of medical common knowledge is that people need 10-12 large glasses of water per day to be in optimum condition. We are told that this will improve the look of our hair and skin, help us to lose weight, give us more energy, flush out toxins, prevent muscle cramps as well as assist us with a myriad of other ailments. But is this really true? New research indicates that it might not be. It is possible that drinking that much water may not be all that helpful and that it might very well be detrimental to our health.

I listened to to a doctor, whose name escapes me [I know, I know, poor Journalist skills when I can't cite my source better than that] speaking on an Edmonton radio station, CHED, this past week who said that it is all a myth. He claims that the actual figure should be 8-10 cups, as in measuring cups (8 ounces). He said that at least half of that can be derived from the water that is in our other foods such as juicy fruits and vegetables - celery and lettuce, for example, are 90% water. He also said that any fluid is suitable, including fruit and vegetable juices, milk and even coffee.

Many people apparently don't believe coffee should count because it is a diuretic that may help to dehydrate us. I did some further research on the Internet and found several sources that said that although coffee is a diuretic, it's high water content still exceeds it's dehydrating ability. In fact, the only common drink that will actually contribute to a negative fluid balance in our bodies is alcohol.

The nameless doctor quoted above said that not only will high water intake not be a benefit to our health, it may actually damage our kidneys by prematurely aging them. He qualified this statement by saying that this still requires further research to verify it. He also said that the "flushing" theory may not be such a good idea since proteins will also be flushed and proteins can lead to kidney damage. We should have a definitive answer to all of this within the year.

How do we know what is the "proper" amount of water we need in a day? We obviously need to replace the water that we sweat and expel as waste. The best idea is to drink when we are thirsty. The body is uncannily good at letting us know when our water levels have gotten too low.

So why on earth would anyone want to promote the idea of drinking all of this water if it does no good? Think about it. Fifteen years ago anyone who suggested that people would be willing to pay twice as much for a litre of water as they would for a litre of gasoline would have been laughed at and considered a lunatic. Now take a look at your bottle of Dasani. Get it?