How Much Water Should I Drink?
Drinking Enough Water is Vital for Staying Youthful & Healthy
Nov 19, 2008
Two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen (H2O), water is the most abundant substance in the human body, comprising up to 70 percent of our body weight. Vital for life, even though water contains no calories or other nutrients, we cannot survive for more than a few days without it - whereas a normal healthy person can survive up to eight weeks without food.
Why Is Water So Important?
According to Dr. Elson Haas, in Staying Healthy with Nutrition: The Complete Guide to Diet and Nutritional Medicine (2006), water is essential for virtually every bodily function, including digestion, absorption, transport of nutrients, elimination of wastes, regulation of body temperature, and other metabolic functions.
Haas says that the clear stuff also plays a role in staying youthful. As our bodies age, they essentially dry out; water accounts for up to 80 percent of a newborn infant's body, compared to only 50 percent after age 70. Over the course of our lives, this natural desiccation manifests in wrinkled skin, reduced saliva flow and stiffened joints.
While we may not be able to totally avoid moisture loss as we age, we can certainly slow it down by drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated.
How Much Water Should You Drink?
You've probably heard that you should drink at least eight glasses of water daily; this handy guide may sound unreasonable to many, but according to the Mayo Clinic this figure may be too low depending on how much you exercise, environmental conditions, and illnesses or health conditions. Haas warns that you should drink additional water if you consume beverages such as coffee or tea, which are diuretics and promote dehydration. Women also need to drink if they are pregnant (to provide for the amniotic sac, expanded blood volume and to sustain the growing fetus) and while nursing, to produce milk, which is almost 90 percent water.
Other Sources of Water
Besides drinking liquids, you can also contribute to your daily intake of water by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, since many are more than 75 percent water by weight (Mayo Clinic).
How Do You Know if You're Consuming Enough Water?
When it comes down to it, the human body requires enough water so that the urine appears pale, not dark or bright yellow. Haas and other experts advise that people drink water continuously throughout the day and don't wait for thirst to kick in; by the time you feel thirsty, you are probably already dehydrated.
Find out how the experts weigh in on the pros and cons of bottled water versus municipal sources here.
