You Don't Need to Drink 8 Cups of Water Daily. Here's Why.

Age, weight, and daily activity levels- these components can influence how much water your body actually requires. Well, isn’t it just eight cups of water a day? Good question. New research has found that meeting this age-old requirement is actually unnecessary! So where did this advice originally come from? According to the Washington Post, the recommendation to drink 8 cups/day came from the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council back in 1945. They advised adults to drink at least 64 ounces of water daily which referred to their total water intake overall. This means water from foods and water found in other beverages should also be included in that total. As you can see, that piece of advice has been widely misinterpreted. Some experts, however, argue that the recommendation was never valid in the first place because there was no medical evidence to back it up.
‍Well then…How Much Water Do I Actually Need?
‍The question now lies, “How much water does my body really need then?” In order to figure this out, Herman Pontzer, a professor of evolutionary anthropology and global health at Duke University, performed a study. The study included 5,600 participants from 26 different countries with ages ranging from 8 days- 96 years old. They also all had different occupations from farmers to athletes. In the study, the participants were tracked with a gold-standard technique known as “doubly labeled water”. This practice refers to water laced with tracers which are used to track the body’s production of CO2. The tracers allowed the researchers to measure the participants’ metabolism and water turnover. The conclusion? A person’s daily water turnover was mainly determined by their size and body fat levels. Therefore, the more “fat-free” mass a person has, the more water they need. For example, since men usually have a larger build and less body fat, they would need to drink more water than women. The amount of water you need is also dependent on how many calories you burn. Likewise, the more you burn, the more water you need.
Other Influences
‍While body fat and how many calories you burn may have an influence on how much water you need, other influences like the climate and environment have an effect as well. People who live in hotter climates or engage in higher physical activity, for instance, have a higher level of water turnover. In the study, they found that participants in less developed countries had higher water turnover versus those in developed countries. The assumption is that those people living in poorer countries work jobs that require more physical activity which may mean they’re body may need more water.
‍Getting Started
‍While some are saying the study is an impressive find, other experts like Asher Rosinger, director of the Water, Health, & Nutrition Lab at Penn State, believe that water turnover doesn’t necessarily measure how hydrated a person is. So how can you get yourself started?

• Drink when you’re thirsty. You can naturally tell when your body needs water. Don’t feel like you need to force yourself to drink more.
• Prioritize water & avoid sugary beverages. Coffee and tea are fine on occasion but too much of it can cause you to have metabolic issues in the future.

• Water from foods. Remember that you can get water intake from the foods you eat as well. Some of these include fruits, vegetables, soups, yogurt, and even rice!

Why is Water so Important?

• Prevents dehydration
• Maximizes physical performance
• Improves energy level & brain function
• Maintains balance of body fluids
• Relieves constipation
• Helps to treat kidney stones

The Bottom Line

While drinking eight cups of water a day won’t do you any harm, it most likely won’t provide any additional benefits compared to if you were to drink less. Your body will probably end up excreting the remaining fluids anyways! Just keep in mind that everyone’s actual water intake may be different- so while you may need to drink less water, your friend or neighbor may need to drink more depending on various factors.