Do you need to drink eight glasses of water per day?

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/buddiesforlife

Sufficient daily hydration is necessary because your body works to remain in a state of balance (homeostasis) all the time. The need is two-fold:

1. Survival
2. The various body systems, organs, cells, and tissues depend on a sufficient intake of water to function properly.

---

DID YOU KNOW?

As infants, water weight peaks at around 73%? This is why a baby’s skin is soft and dewy. As adults, water weight reduces to between 60–70% and can drop as low as 45% during the latter years.

The composition of water contained in organs: the kidneys (85%), lungs (80%), brain (80%), liver (75%), muscles (75%), skin (70%), and bones (25%). Even the liquid portion of blood (plasma) contains up to 90% water and makes up around 55% of total blood volume too.

---

Think of your body as an engine

A balance of water is necessary to aid in the delivery of nutrients, glucose, and oxygen around the body, lubrication for the eyes and joints, regulating body temperature, and keeping pH levels balanced. It also plays a vital role in aiding in the sufficient function of the kidneys, brain, and digestive system, among many other things.

More than the amount you drink

There are two other sources of water supply you take in every day:

• Food – many foods, like fruits, vegetables, and even meat have water content.
• Metabolic processes

Around 8% of water comes from metabolic processes and as much as 92% from what you eat and drink every day. So, you need to factor in all three sources when considering how much water you need for optimal well-being.

You also lose water every day

An average adult can lose between 1.7 to 2.3 litres of water through breathing (lungs), sweating (skin) and via urine and bowel movements. Breathing alone can cause you to lose around 350ml a day. You can also lose between 500–900ml a day through perspiration (depending on temperature and humidity levels).

Other factors worth noting

• Physical health and body composition (including body weight, the proportion of fat and non-fat mass, as well as the composition of muscle mass). This differs between adult men and women.
• Individual metabolism rates
• Physical activity levels and lifestyle factors (including exercise, pregnancy, and breastfeeding)
• Environmental conditions (climate)

Individualised hydration needs

It then stands to reason that overall hydration needs should be more individualised. Now, eight glasses gives you a good total idea that’s accurate enough. However, such a benchmark merely focuses on what you drink and not the other water sources or influences that impact intake, nor how water is used by and expelled from the body daily.

General guidelines from reputable organisations recommend a daily intake of at least 2.1 litres for women over 18 years of age and 2.6 litres for grown men.

In general, for the human body to function optimally, it needs an average of 35ml of water (per day) for each kilogram of body weight.

So, a more accurate equation for daily water intake can be worked out according to your own specific body weight. Here’s an example: 70kg x 0.035 = 2.45 litres per day.

Happy hydrating

This means that you can make your daily water consumption more interesting and diverse through what you eat and drink every day. Here are  ideas:

• Clean water is always best.
• Soups and bone broths with animal protein are great options, as well as gazpacho.
• Melons, such as watermelon and cantaloupe.
• Smoothies have a liquid base (milk or juice).
• Unsweetened iced tea with extra ice for more hydration.