Researchers have found that the recommended eight glasses of water a day might be a little too high for our daily needs, reveals a report by Independent.?
This is according to a study from the University of Aberdeen that has shown that the recommended intake of two litres of water in a day rarely matches our body¡¯s true needs and in many instances, it is also too high.
Considering 50 percent of our daily water intake comes from food, researchers estimate that we only need around 1.5 to 1.8 litres of water every day.?
Researchers have implemented stable isotope techniques and collaborated across the globe to measure water turnover. They surveyed 5,604 people aged between eight days and 96 years old from 23 nations.?
The study involved people drinking in a glass of water in which some of the hydrogen molecules were swapped for a stable isotope of an element dubbed deuterium -- found naturally in the human body.?
The rate of elimination of the extra deuterium reveals how quickly water in the body is turning over. Those residing in hot and humid climates and at high altitudes, as well as athletes, and pregnant and breastfeeding women were among those who needed more water intake since the turnover rate was higher among them, as per the study.?
The biggest factor affecting water turnover was energy expenditure, and this was seen most in men aged between 20 to 35 years, who turned over an average of 4.2 litres per day. This dropped with age, averaging 2.5 litres per day for men in their 90s.?
Women from the age group of 20 to 40 years had a turnover of 3.3 litres that also dropped to 2.5 litres by the age of 90.
Professor John Speakman from the University of Aberdeen explained that water turnover isn¡¯t equal to the requirement for drinking water, ¡°Even if a male in his 20s has a water turnover of on average of 4.2 litres per day, he does not need to drink 4.2 litres of water each day. About 15% of this value reflects surface water exchange and water produced from metabolism. The actual required water intake is about 3.6 litres per day. Since most foods also contain water, a substantial amount of water is provided just by eating.¡±
Speakman added, ¡°This study shows that the common suggestion that we should all be drinking eight glasses of water (or around two litres per day) is probably too high for most people in most situations and a ¡®one-size-fits-all policy¡¯ for water intake is not supported by this data. Understanding the factors that drive our water turnover and the relative importance of different factors is a big step forwards in our ability to predict future water needs.¡±
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