Do we really need to drink 6-8 cups of water a day?

www.DrWeigh.com

Do we really need to drink 6-8 (eight ounce) cups of water a day? Contrary to what you might hear from many 'diet experts', there are no conclusive scientific studies proving that 6-8 cups of water a day promotes health.

Some weight loss programs advise people to drink 6-8 glasses of water a day so they don't confuse hunger and thirst. Dehydration can definitely be misinterpreted as hunger, but it doesn't require that much water to prevent dehydration. 4 glasses of water a day should be sufficient. Any intake above that will not have much effect.

Some programs claim that drinking 6-8 cups of water a day will decrease headaches, flush toxins, and clear skin. These maladies may be caused by dehydration, but as I previously wrote, 4 glasses of water a day should be sufficient to prevent dehydration and therefore prevent these problems.

One study from Germany maintained that drinking 6-8 cups of water daily caused an increase in metabolic rate. Looking more closely at the data, scientists realized that this increase in metabolic rate was so minimal that it was insignificant.

So- don't worry about chugging water all day. But don't let yourself get dehydrated, either. Four eight ounce glasses of water a day should be sufficient. And don't forget that caffeine is a diuretic. You must drink an extra cup of water for each cup of caffeinated beverage you ingest!