The Doctors Health Press, a publisher of various natural health newsletters, books, and reports, including the popular online Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin, reports that a new study shows we might be drinking too much water.

As reported in Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin (http://www.doctorshealthpress.com/general-health-2/researchers-think-we-might-be-drinking-too-much-water-researchers-think-we-might-be-drinking-too-much-water), a researcher out of Australia questions how we arrived at the conclusion and suggest that Western society seeks to drink too much water.

They say drinking water is healthy in many regards, keeping you hydrated, helping you shed pounds, and lowering your consumption of unhealthy beverages. But water alone won’t make you lose belly fat as it needs to be part of a low-calorie diet. Research shows that drinking lots of water does nothing more than reduce appetite.

The Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin article, “Researchers Think We Might Be Drinking Too Much Water,” reports researchers discovered the following.

In today's Western society, the current widespread belief is that the moment you feel thirsty, you are dehydrated. The only way to avoid this is to consume copious amounts of water. The people who share this view also believe other beverages cause dehydration; many believe tea and coffee will prevent your body from absorbing water, also causing water loss. Yet new research shows that the diuretic effects of such beverages are overblown.

Unlike many nutrients, there is no set minimum level of water intake. In general, we go with the "eight glasses" idea or around three liters. But we generally don't think of the water found in food and other drinks, which can be around 2.6 liters daily. Also, how you drink your water plays a big factor. If you guzzle a lot in a short time, the water is unlikely to reach the "extracellular" space where it is needed. So, rather than hydrating you, all it does is dilute urine.

The Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin article also reports that the study concludes we should consider fluid in unprocessed fruits, vegetables, and juices that we consume. It may not be just water that's needed; other nutrients and components consumed along with water may also contribute to the body being well-hydrated.

While water is crucial, the recommendation of eight glasses of pure water per day could be an overestimation, the study concludes. All fluids are important in meeting requirements, not just water. We should realize that beverages like tea and coffee, despite their caffeine content, may not lead to dehydration and, in fact, may contribute to your daily fluid needs.

(SOURCE: Tsindos, S., "What drove us to drink 2 litres of water a day?" Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, June 5, 2012.)

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