(Mirror Daily, United States) – There is a common piece of advice that one should drink eight glasses of water per day to stay healthy, flush out the waste, and enable nutrients to reach all parts of the body.
However, a new study suggests that that rule may be too excessive and people following it may be drinking too much water. Yet, this is not the first time new research challenges the old rule.
In 2015, a study found the eight glasses per day rule was unnecessary, while in 2016, a separate team reported that people drink too much water based on that rule. In 2002, a study revealed that there isn’t proof to back the rule.
Scientists couldn’t tell who came up with the idea first. They think the rule was set in place to help people keep track of how much water they are drinking.
Our Water Needs Are Different
The new research suggests that one cannot recommend all adults to drink eight glasses of water per day because people are very different. Their bodies, lifestyles, diets, and personal needs are different. The rule can be kept as a personal goal to reach daily, but study authors recommend paying attention to your body’s cues about how much water you really need instead.
If you don’t know how much water your body needs, you should focus on thirst. According to the National Academies of Sciences, people who drink water whenever they feel thirsty get their daily recommended hydration.
However, in some people, thirst may be subtle especially when those people don’t drink enough water. Thirst may come in the guise of being hungry, having dry eyes, feeling exhausted, lacking sweat, and having dark colored urine.
Additionally, people who tend to sweat a lot should drink more water than people who don’t. If you do plenty of physical labor you should as well drink more water than people who work in an office.
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