Do you really need 8 glasses of water a day ??

[johnny cabbage head]

I just read the story in the daily mail newspaper, but it seems to be provoking some comments worldwide. after a GP (Doctor)from scotland made some statements in the medical journal.
http://shine.yahoo.com/event/summert...a-day-2512002/

I read the editorial and my personal opinion is that why should I listen to a desk pilot doctor in scotlands "opinion" when I can look at my own experience with water intake and make an informed decision.

I am ex military and the drinking regimes enforced in the military are there for a reason- and that reason is to keep its personnel in good health.

I know if I dont drink until my urine is clear I tend to feel sluggish and in the real hot weather I just feel wiped out if I train without taking on plenty.

I drink about 4-5 pints of water a day whan I am training, which is five days a week., and I think if you are using proteins then you need the fluids to transport the stuff where it needs to get to in order to benefit from it.
My wifes friend is a dialysis nurse and she says that a noticeable amount of her patients are body builders, who end up end up on dialysis.

I asked her whether this was due to steroids - or lack of drinking enough water when using lots of proteins, she reckons its difficult to ascertain that, as many of the patients dont fess up to using steroids , but many of them are really big guys with spotty backs !! - , so thats a good enough reason for me to drink plenty of water.( I use protein not steroids)
I found it a thought provoking article anyway, and thought I would share it with you guys.
best regards Johnny

[poodnhead wilson]

I just read the story in the daily mail newspaper, but it seems to be provoking some comments worldwide. after a GP (Doctor)from scotland made some statements in the medical journal.
http://shine.yahoo.com/event/summert...a-day-2512002/

I read the editorial and my personal opinion is that why should I listen to a desk pilot doctor in scotlands "opinion" when I can look at my own experience with water intake and make an informed decision.

I am ex military and the drinking regimes enforced in the military are there for a reason- and that reason is to keep its personnel in good health.

I know if I dont drink until my urine is clear I tend to feel sluggish and in the real hot weather I just feel wiped out if I train without taking on plenty.

I drink about 4-5 pints of water a day whan I am training, which is five days a week., and I think if you are using proteins then you need the fluids to transport the stuff where it needs to get to in order to benefit from it.
My wifes friend is a dialysis nurse and she says that a noticeable amount of her patients are body builders, who end up end up on dialysis.

I asked her whether this was due to steroids - or lack of drinking enough water when using lots of proteins, she reckons its difficult to ascertain that, as many of the patients dont fess up to using steroids , but many of them are really big guys with spotty backs !! - , so thats a good enough reason for me to drink plenty of water.( I use protein not steroids)
I found it a thought provoking article anyway, and thought I would share it with you guys.
best regards Johnny

There are no studies that support a recommendation for any particular quantity of water. Nor are there studies that support conclusively that clear urine is a sign of proper hydration. The hydration regimes in the military are there because everything in the military is regimented. And as it happens, regimenting hydration (in extreme conditions) on a schedule rather than gulping down a lot of water all at once is somewhat safer for water intoxication reasons. But a regimented quantity of fluids on a schedule isn't altogether safe.

Hyponatremia is a real risk and you can die from it. It happens more often than you might think. And it happens most often in the population that preaches regular hydration and exercises regularly.

Healthy adults can process about 15 liters of water day but a lot of daily water intake will be supplied in food so 8 glasses is really a random and arbitrary amount. Thirst is there for a reason. Listen to it and use it.

[ad5ly]

I drink about 10-12 8oz glasses of water a day. Sometime more sometimes less. But I don't obsess about it. I drink 1 or 2 cups in the morning, then coffee. I have 1 cup at each meal, and certainely before, during and after training. I drink when I'm thirsty but don't check off the boxes for each 8oz glass I drink (my sister does this). Alot of water is in vegetables and fruits. Clear urine is a means you are getting enough water. As for the military, I recall when I was stationed at 29 Palms Ca many yrs ago - we were given SALT Tablets because of the hot/dry conditions of the Mojave desert. Things have changed. In my opinion you can drink 6 glasses of water a day, and depending on what you eat that should work. If you strength train or run long distance in hot weather drink your fill and stay hydrated..Dennis

[jkd1]

The clear urine thing is bunk, it doesn't mean anything... The other aspect is electrolyte loss in high heat and a lot of work. You can lose a lot of sodium, which is very critical, via sweat. You do not lose Potassium however. So the military provides salt as a means to replenish in high heat environments.

We all sweat and retain water in different amounts so there's no way to give standard recommendations. It's better to drink just a little too much than to get dehydrated, especially if you are having to work out or work in high heat.

[poodnhead wilson]

The 8 glasses a day recommendation likely originated in the 1940s. The National Institute for Medicine recommended getting the equivalent two liters of of water daily (which is about 8-8 ounce glasses). The NIM also pointed that much of that requirement is satisfied when we ingest prepared foods.

Antidiuretic hormone kicks in when your blood volume concentrates at around 2% which signals the kidneys to absorb more water and return it to the bloodstream. This triggers thirst. You don't start getting dehydration symptoms until around 5% blood concentration.

Check out this article (short) on the subject of 8 glasses a day. http://dms.dartmouth.edu/news/2002_h...02_water.shtml

[kbria]

In regards to the protein/kidney thing. Well at least in animals what they are finding is it has nothing to do with the amount of protein, but the calcium to phosphorus ratios. Protein is high in phosphorus. Although in the past it was thought it was the protein itself, it is only with in the last 5 yrs or so they discovered it was more the phosphorus.

[mc]

i heard it was coke that started the 8 glasses a day thing when they had interest in the water companies. isn't that interesting.
It seems as with most things in the body, it's about balance of ratios: not that hdl is bad, but what's the ratio to LDL; not that fat is bad but the mix of fat types - that ratio - is important.
we're complex systems. some things may be like buying ibm used to be: no one will get fired for doing it, but it's not necessarily the optimal solution.

There is also mixed research support around water drinking at diet: water doesn't necessarily lead to a feeling of satiety so tho it distends the gut, the fullness or hunger off signal doesn't get triggered etc etc.

Is one well hydrated? how tell? regular peeing but over time especially moving the fascia: if someone puts hands on us to manipulate the fascia, if it's sticky, or doesn't move well, that's a pretty good indicator of a potential problem with not enough o2.

nice links poodhead wilson

mc

[Mike Schutz]

Drink ehough water that you are no longger thirsty and you will be OK. Let your body decide what you need

[Rob Drewry]

The OP's link reminds me of this article from 2003:

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/...X5X6-4,00.html

In short, since before 2003, there have been "experts" saying you "need at least 8 glasses of water per day" (some of these "experts" do not specify the volume of the glass, which should be a clue as to their degree of expertise-lack of precision), yet as of 2003 no peer reviewed studies substantiated this mantra.

The amount of water you need is likely to be different from the amount I need. I may weigh more; you may exercise more. I may live in a warmer climate; you may live at a higher altitude-all factors in hydration.

Why treat thirst any different than hunger? Drink when you're thirsty until you are no longer thirsty, then stop.

I personally believe that the benefits people claim when drinking copious amounts of water more than likely comes from what their water consumption replaces. Let's face it. If you're drinking 8 Diet Cokes per day and you switch that consumption to water, you're going to feel a whole lot better.

Then again, I'm no expert...just experienced.

[Steve Freides]

My own memory of first hearing about the need to hydrate is that I heard it when I started running - if I didn't run long distances, my natural thirst did the job of telling me when to drink. Running distance in the heat, however, caused me to drink even when I wasn't thirsty and, for me, at least, that was necessary.

I recall one memorable long run, an out-and-back route with no water stops except at the turn-around - 7 miles each way, 14 miles in total, and I drank as much as I could at the turn-around. When I got home on that warm summer morning, I had lost 7 pounds of bodyweight. The situation required me to keep drinking regularly for hours and hours afterwards because just drinking until one's urine is clear isn't sufficient to put all that fluid back in.

I knew it was going to be hot and made it a point to weigh myself before and after - doing this is a simple way to determine the need to drink or not.

-S-
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