Another Expert Says That People Are Being Urged To Drink Too Much Water
The Gazette has long taken the position that the “8 glasses per day” advice usually given by the medical community is pure nonsense. A researcher at La Trobe University agrees.
Spero Tsindos of La Trobe University, writing in the June 2012 issue of Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, asserts that our bodies need about two liters of fluids per day, not two liters of water specifically. The Gazette has frequently pointed out the water in the foods we eat is water, so people have vastly different needs for actual water since diets vary considerably.
Mr Tsindos believes that encouraging people to drink more water is driven by vested interests rather than a need for better health.
“Thirty years ago you didn’t see a plastic water bottle anywhere, now they appear as fashion accessories, he writes. “As tokens of instant gratification and symbolism, the very bottle itself is seen as cool and hip.”
He also discusses the role of water in our constant quest for weight loss. “Drinking large amounts of water does not alone cause weight loss. A low-calorie diet is also required. Research has also revealed that water in food eaten has a greater benefit in weight reduction than avoiding foods altogether. We should be telling people that beverages like tea and coffee contribute to a person’s fluid needs and despite their caffeine content, do not lead to dehydration.”
Tsindos says that people need to maintain fluid balance and should drink water, but also consider fluid in unprocessed fruits and vegetables and juices of equal importance.
