Water. It’s one of the most essential nutrients for the human body. It is consumable, healthy, natural, and present in most places. One of the most common things I hear about water is how beneficial it is for you and how we should drink plenty of it. Regardless of whether they have done the proper research or not, I constantly hear from most people that in order to be healthy, I should drink eight glasses of water a day. It is recommended to me by adults, professionals, websites, and other sources. However, is this statement actually true? Do humans actually need to drink eight glasses of water daily? The answer is no. The statement that eight glasses of water are needed to be consumed daily in order to be healthy is not accurate. It’s just a misconception that was claimed many years ago and is still presented in society today.
Let’s begin with where this common misconception actually began. It all started in 1945, almost 70 years ago, when the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board advised that humans should consume 2.5 liters of water daily. This roughly measured out to be eight glasses of water. This suggestion became popular throughout the United States and people began to refer to it for all recommendations for water consumption. However, research that has been done over the past few years has led to the conclusion that this information is not scientifically accurate. More knowledge and tools have allowed researchers and scientists to find the necessary amount of water consumption which they have decided is not a fixed amount and can’t be determined. While discussing this topic, many people will argue that water is vital for the human body and beneficial for health, and I completely agree with that. I myself aim to get the sufficient amount of water daily. While water is a vital part, the set standards for water consumption are inaccurate because of many reasons proven recently by research. One set amount cannot only describe the water requirement.
One of the most important aspects that research has shown is that water doesn't necessarily come in pure form. There are many foods that have sufficient water contents such as vegetables, fruits, tea, coffee, and more. When the Board first released their statement, they acknowledged that a majority of water was present daily consumed foods and beverages. However, the public chose to ignore this statement and believed that this amount was needed to be consumed in pure water form. Research done today has shown that other foods do contain sufficient amounts of water. In a New York Times article, American pediatrician and professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine, Aaron E. Carroll advised that although he suggests pure water to the healthiest alternative, other foods also have high water contents. These contribute to the daily water needed to be consumed to be healthy. The health professional supports the idea that not only pure water is needed for the required daily water intake.
Along with daily food content having water, the accurate amount of water needed for consumption can’t be determined because of the different factors affecting a person’s life. According to the Mayo Clinic, there are several different factors that influence the water needs of an individual. Some factors include exercise, environment, and the overall health of an individual. These different factors which affect a person’s daily life need to be taken into consideration before trying to determine an absolute and fixed amount of water needed for a specific individual. For example, a person that works out frequently loses fluids, through sweating, much more than a stationary person does. This results in more water intake necessary for the more active individual in order to be healthy and get the proper amount of water. Another example is that people who have an illness usually require larger fluid intakes because their body systems are more at work than a healthy person who has no illness affecting them. To conclude, there are many different factors affecting an individual’s life and taking all of these factors into consideration would be difficult therefore resulting in no necessary fixed water intake amount.
In some cases, drinking the standard eight glasses of water provides more water for the body than actually necessary. However, contrary to popular belief, drinking additional water doesn’t have to affect the body in a positive way. According to Carroll, studies with individuals increasing their water intake have failed to find the benefits in kidney functions or all-cause mortality. Drinking more water hasn't affected these individuals’ bodies in any way and therefore doesn’t create an extremely positive impact on bodies compared to others who don’t drink excessive amounts of water. In some rare cases, excessive drinking of water can cause harm to the body. One condition of these conditions is hyponatremia which, according to WebMD, “can cause the level of salt, or sodium, in your blood to drop too low” and “can be fatal” (DiLonardo). However, this condition occurs very rarely and only occurs in extreme cases. Individuals who drink the standard amount and others who drink excessively have similar body conditions and the same health. Drinking the eight glasses of water does provide the body with extra fluid, but it does not affect the body more positively than regular water intake standards do.
Many individuals argue that although the eight glasses of water aren’t necessary, they do provide a good goal for people. Common truth known to all is that many people, including myself, struggle with dehydration. Having a specific guide to how much water is needed every day could be beneficial for us because having these goals would better alert us on how much water we have drank and need to drink to reach goal. It would allow us to keep track of our progress and better manage our health.
Although the eight glasses of water would provide a beneficial goal, the healthiest way to overcome dehydration is by drinking water when the body demands it. According to Carroll, when the body feels dehydrated and requires water intake, it sends many signs to the person to drink water. These goals of having to drink eight glasses of water would most likely put pressure on an individual to drink water and they might do so at inappropriate times striving the body for when water is actually necessary. Instead of setting goals, humans should depend on their bodies to tell them when they are thirsty and require water. This allows the body to naturally fulfill its needs rather than forcing something upon it.
Water is and always will remain an important part of the daily lives of humans. In this case, research and data played very important parts in determining the validity of something which is very important to humans. These concepts are always important when trying to prove something important in society and always show us how we are changing and improving. An example of this was this argument because although we believed something else before, research and data have led us to change our ways and they will do so in the future with many other things.