How much water do we really need?

Saturday, April 13, 2013 by: Sandeep Godiyal
Tags: water needs, dehydration, drinks

(NaturalNews) Traditional science recommends eight ounces of water intake with a frequency of eight times per day. Theoretically, this is meant to meet the body's need when it comes to water intake. However, the never-ending questions remain: is it accurate and is it effective? This post aims to address the question about how much water is really needed by our bodies. At the end of the discussion, readers should be educated about the necessity of water and how much is too little and too much for the body.

The theories

The eight-by-eight principle is still a theory. While it has been recommended by health professionals, their consensus does not mean validity and reliability about water intake. Until now, a scientific discussion that illustrates the water intake principle is yet to be released.

The drink-half-your-weight principle is still a theory. The proposition says that you'll know how much water you need by dividing your weight into two. That means that you'll need to get into the trouble of converting pounds or kilograms into ounces, liters, or even number of glasses. While the goal is to have you take in as much water as possible, this principle also leads you to believe that the moment you get thirsty, you're dehydrated.

The gender-intake guideline is a theory. In 2004, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released water intake guidelines that say that women need 91 ounces of water and men need 125 ounces daily. This means that if you rely on drinking water alone, you need at least 11 cups per day. However, this guideline also includes all possible water sources like the foods we eat and the beverages we drink. In application, 80% of water comes from what we drink and 20% comes from what we eat.

The truth

The truth is there is not standard determinant towards how much water we need. How might we know if we've had too much or too little then? Unlike food that leads us to satiation, our bodies possess a sort of a "water meter" that lets us know if we need more water or not. This means that thirst is an effective way for us to determine whether or not we need water. This does not include the fact some people get dehydrated because of medical conditions, though. Note that this post only covers the ordinary days of our lives.

The factors affecting the need for water

First, our need for water depends on bodily factors like the following: age, body size, gender, health status, and level of physical activity. Second, our need for water depends on environmental factors like the following: high humidity and temperature levels. Both of these sets of factors make sense because the body seeks to replenish what it has lost and that includes fluids.

Conclusion

You can then say that the body's need for water does not depend on pre-set guidelines. Until proven to demonstrate the body's need for water, theories will continue to stay as speculations. Thirst is still the best indicator for the body's need of water.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283

http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

http://www.eatingwell.com

About the author:
Sandeep has written many health field articles for both Internet and print publication. He currently writing for insurancetips4u.co.

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