Contrary to popular belief, it is not healthy to drink too much water. Take a look at these articles:
Water, How Much is Too Much? From: Do You Really Need Eight Glasses of Water a Day? http://www.mercola.com/2004/may/5/eight_glasses_water.htm How many of you have heard that we are dehydrated and need to drink at least eight eight-ounce glasses of water a day? I know that is what I have traditionally been exposed to. I used to advise that people follow an even more refined rule of thumb--for every 50 pounds of body weight you carry, drink one quart of spring or filtered water per day. This would increase daily water intake to 12 to 16 glasses for most of us.
However, after awhile I began to question this and I further refined my recommendations to use the color of your urine as a guide to how much water you should be drinking. As long as you are not taking riboflavin (vitamin B2), which fluoresces and turns your urine bright yellow (it is also in most multi-vitamins), then your urine should be a very light-colored yellow. If it is a deep yellow then you are likely not drinking enough water.
So I was delighted to read in my Family Practice News that an Institute of Medicine Panel actually reached the same rational conclusion.
They rejected the conventional wisdom that people need to drink eight glasses of water a day and concluded that on a daily basis people get enough water from normal drinking behavior, such as drinking beverages at meals and in other social situations, and by letting their thirst guide them.
Let Your Thirst be Your Guide When your body begins to lose from 1 percent to 2 percent of its total water, your thirst mechanism lets you know that it’s time to drink some water. If you are healthy, then drinking whenever you feel thirsty should be an adequate guide of how much water you need. You can confirm whether you are drinking enough water by looking at the color of your urine, as mentioned above.
Of course, if it’s hot outside or you are engaged in exercise or other vigorous activity, you will require more water than normal so be sure to stay well hydrated in these cases. Additionally, as we grow older our thirst mechanism works less efficiently so older adults will want to be sure to drink water regularly, and again make sure their urine is a light, pale color.
Another Reason Why Women Can Retain Water Explains Why Too Much Water Can Harm Marathon Runners http://www.mercola.com/2000/may/14/women_water_marathons.htm When runners collapse or get sick at the end of a long race, it seems logical to give them fluids. Sometimes, however, water is the last thing these athletes need. All had taken in too much water during their races, causing sodium levels in the blood to drop. From there excess water is absorbed into blood and fluid builds up in the brain. Eventually, fluid accumulates in the lungs, and athletes become breathless and nauseated.
When runners collapse or become ill, the natural assumption may be that they are having a heart attack. Yet, rather than being a sign of heart attack, fluid build-up in the lungs -- called pulmonary edema -- may signal brain swelling.
The investigators describe the cases of seven marathoners who collapsed and had nausea and vomiting after their races. When brain scans revealed swelling, six of the patients were treated with an intravenous solution containing high amounts of sodium -- a water-depleting treatment that is directly the opposite of the low-sodium solutions that runners may receive if they are misdiagnosed. The seventh patient, who was not diagnosed with brain swelling, later died; an autopsy revealed that there had indeed been fluid on the brain.
Five of the patients were female, suggesting that women may be more prone to water intoxication and its effects on the brain and lungs. All seven had a history of using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs -- painkillers that include aspirin. These drugs can block the excretion of water from the body. Runners who become breathless and nauseated after drinking large amounts of water during a race should go to the hospital and doctors should check blood sodium levels.
Why We Don’t Need to Drink 8 Glasses of Water A Day From: Drink At Least 8 Glasses Of Water A Day -- Really?
Source: Dartmouth Medical School
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/08/020809071640.htm Hanover, NH -- It has become accepted wisdom: "Drink at least eight glasses of water a day!" Not necessarily, says a DMS physician Heinz Valtin, MD. The universal advice that has made guzzling water a national pastime is more urban myth than medical dogma and appears to lack scientific proof, he found.
In an invited review published online by the American Journal of Physiology August 8, Valtin, professor emeritus of physiology at Dartmouth Medical School, reports no supporting evidence to back this popular counsel, commonly known as "8 x 8" (for eight, eight-ounce glasses). The review will also appear in a later issue of the journal.
Valtin, a kidney specialist and author of two widely used textbooks on the kidney and water balance, sought to find the origin of this dictum and to examine the scientific evidence, if any, that might support it. He observes that we see the exhortation everywhere: from health writers, nutritionists, even physicians. Valtin doubts its validity. Indeed, he finds it, "difficult to believe that evolution left us with a chronic water deficit that needs to be compensated by forcing a high fluid intake."
The 8 x 8 rule is slavishly followed. Everywhere, people carry bottles of water, constantly sipping from them; it is acceptable to drink water anywhere, anytime. A pamphlet distributed at one southern California university even counsels its students to "carry a water bottle with you. Drink often while sitting in class..."
How did the obsession start? Is there any scientific evidence that supports the recommendation? Does the habit promote good health? Might it be harmful?
Valtin thinks the notion may have started when the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council recommended approximately "1 milliliter of water for each calorie of food," which would amount to roughly two to two-and-a-half quarts per day (64 to 80 ounces). Although in its next sentence, the Board stated "most of this quantity is contained in prepared foods," that last sentence may have been missed, so that the recommendation was erroneously interpreted as how much water one should drink each day.
He found no scientific studies in support of 8 x 8. Rather, surveys of fluid intake on healthy adults of both genders, published as peer-reviewed documents, strongly suggest that such large amounts are not needed. His conclusion is supported by published studies showing that caffeinated drinks, such as most coffee, tea and soft drinks, may indeed be counted toward the daily total. He also points to the quantity of published experiments that attest to the capability of the human body for maintaining proper water balance.
Valtin emphasizes that his conclusion is limited to healthy adults in a temperate climate leading a largely sedentary existence -- precisely, he points out, the population and conditions that the "at least" in 8 x 8 refers to. At the same time, he stresses that large intakes of fluid, equal to and greater than 8 x 8, are advisable for the treatment or prevention of some diseases, such as kidney stones, as well as under special circumstances, such as strenuous physical activity, long airplane flights or hot weather. But barring those exceptions, he concludes that we are currently drinking enough and possibly even more than enough.
Despite the dearth of compelling evidence, then, What's the harm? "The fact is that, potentially, there is harm even in water," explains Valtin. Even modest increases in fluid intake can result in "water intoxication" if one's kidneys are unable to excrete enough water (urine). Such instances are not unheard of, and they have led to mental confusion and even death in athletes, in teenagers after ingesting the recreational drug Ecstasy, and in ordinary patients.
And he lists other disadvantages of a high water intake: (a) possible exposure to pollutants, especially if sustained over many years; (b) frequent urination, which can be both inconvenient and embarrassing; (c) expense, for those who satisfy the 8 x 8 requirements with bottled water; and (d) feelings of guilt for not achieving 8 x 8.
Other claims discredited by scientific evidence that Valtin discusses include:
Thirst Is Too Late. It is often stated that by the time people are thirsty, they are already dehydrated. On the contrary, thirst begins when the concentration of blood (an accurate indicator of our state of hydration) has risen by less than two percent, whereas most experts would define dehydration as beginning when that concentration has risen by at least five percent.
Dark Urine Means Dehydration. At normal urinary volume and color, the concentration of the blood is within the normal range and nowhere near the values that are seen in meaningful dehydration. Therefore, the warning that dark urine reflects dehydration is alarmist and false in most instances. Is there scientific documentation that we do not need to drink "8 x 8"? There is highly suggestive evidence, says Valtin. First is the voluminous scientific literature on the efficacy of the osmoregulatory system that maintains water balance through the antidiuretic hormone and thirst. Second, published surveys document that the mean daily fluid intake of thousands of presumably healthy humans is less than the roughly two quarts prescribed by 8 x 8. Valtin argues that, in view of this evidence, the burden of proof that everyone needs 8 x 8 should fall on those who persist in advocating the high fluid intake without, apparently, citing any scientific support.
Finally, strong evidence now indicates that not all of the prescribed fluid need be in the form of water. Careful peer-reviewed experiments have shown that caffeinated drinks should indeed count toward the daily fluid intake in the vast majority of persons. To a lesser extent, the same probably can be said for dilute alcoholic beverages, such as beer, if taken in moderation.
"Thus, I have found no scientific proof that absolutely every person must 'drink at least eight glasses of water a day'," says Valtin. While there is some evidence that the risk of certain diseases can be lowered by high water intake, the quantities needed for this beneficial effect may be less than 8 x 8, and the recommendation can be limited to those particularly susceptible to the diseases in question.
DMS news is on the web at
http://www.dartmouth.edu/dms/news.I know people may disagree and feel that loads of water all day everyday is great. But I must add this. When I was on a bad diet and drank coke, I was nearly always thirsty. No matter how much coke I drank, I had to drink it all day because my body was dehyrated and never satisfied.
I thought this was normal, until I was forced to alter my diet, get rid of sugar and other undesirables and start consuming fruit and vegetables and other healthy foods. Suddenly there was almost NO thirst. My body was getting what it required and no longer sent out signals that it needed anymore. I was so hydrated just from the fruits and vegetables and not eating other bad stuff to dehyrate me and rob me of what my body needed, thirst became very rare for me. Though I was still drinking herbal teas too. Plus having a big glass of water with a squeeze of lemon.
But even then I was not really thirsty, just wanting to have it anyway. To drink beyond that and force my body to consume it all day long, regardless of how I feel, I do not believe is normal or healthy. You don't see animals doing this, they drink when required, when thirsty.
I don't believe these kinds of fads are advantageous to anybody. However, I understand that in certain cases, cleaning yourself out by drinking a lot of water temporarily maybe necessary. But long term? I don't imagine this is a healthy thing at all.
