3 strikes, you're all wet: Don't need 8 glasses of water daily

William Atkins
Wednesday, 16 April 2008 01:33

Science - Health

Strike Three

Now, in 2008, Dan Negoianu and Stanley Goldfarb (both from the University of Pennsylvania) reviewed various clinical studies on the subject of water intake.

They did find that humans living in hot and dry climates need additional water, and that atheletes also have an increased need for water. However, these two cases only point to the fact that the more water expelled through perspiration and excretion, the more water needed to be input into the body.

They, too, concluded that there is no scientific data available or evidence found that would suggest the average, healthy person needs to drink eight glasses of water each day to maintain health.

They wrote an editorial in the (future) June 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology saying, “Indeed, it is unclear where this recommendation came from.”

Their article “Just Add Water” appears in the April 2, 2008 issue of the American Society of Nephrology (J Am Soc Nephrol.2008; 0: ASN.2008030274v1).

This article is based on the LiveScience article “Idea All Wet: You Don't Need 8 Glasses of Water Daily.”

The LiveScience article also comments on other myths that pervade our society.

The urban legend of eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day is also talked about on the Urban Legends' website Snopes.com called “Eight Glasses.”