There are many questions that surround drinking water - below are just a few that we often get asked:
How much water is enough?
Is tap water or bottled water better?
Can I drink too much water?
Will water help me to lose weight?
To help we’ve gathered the best advice we could find and tried to answer the questions below.
How much water is enough?
Is tap water or bottled water better?
Can I drink too much water?
Will water help me to lose weight?
To help we’ve gathered the best advice we could find and tried to answer the questions below.
Water - a few questions and answers
How much water is enough?
The quick, but slightly unreliable answer to this is between 2 -3 litres a day. This figure includes around 500 ml to 1 litre from the foods we eat. However it’s much more difficult to answer that question that it first appears. The 2 - 3 litres a day rule really applies to people living in normal ‘temperate’ climates such as the UK. It also applies to ‘normal’ activities - so it does not really apply to those exercising for long periods or at a high intensity. There are lot’s of other factors that contribute to the amount of water we need each day but a s a rough guide we think you should be aiming to take in an additional 1.5 litres a day. This does not have to be just plain water - although do be careful with high caffeine drinks as these have a tendency to make you visit the toilet more often. If you are exercising for around 30 mins you should aim to drink around 500 ml to compensate. In addition you should also increase your intake in hot weather dependant on your thirst. So to sum up a general rule would be to take on board an additional 1.5 litres gradually throughout the day depending on your needs, activities and weather conditions.
The quick, but slightly unreliable answer to this is between 2 -
Is tap water or bottled water better?
This question is very much a matter of personal taste, cost and location although in our opinion the vast majority of the drinking water in the UK is perfectly safe to drink. It’s a little known fact that tap water is often voted higher quality in blind taste tests and we our selves have witness people mistakenly singing the praises of bottled water when in fact they were drinking tap water. The big difference is in the bottle used to transport the water - be careful as the plastic used in a large proportion of the bottled water available in the UK is only intended for short term use - what we mean by this is more and more studies have highlighted possible contamination from continued use of this type of bottle. Using a bottle specifically designed to be used again and again is probably your safest - not to mention most ‘eco’ way to protect yourself.
This question is very much a matter of personal taste, cost and location although in our opinion the vast majority of the drinking water in the UK is perfectly safe to drink. It’s a little known fact that tap water is often voted higher quality in blind taste tests and we our selves have witness people mistakenly singing the praises of bottled water when in fact they were drinking tap water. The big difference is in the bottle used to transport the water -
Can I drink too much water?
It is possible to drink too much fluid - but it is rare for this to cause problems in a the average UK person. There was a story a short time ago regarding a marathon runner that drank a very large amount of fluid and died from kidney damage and a condition called dilutional hyponatremia. The tabloids went to town on the dangers of drinking too much water but as is often the case the facts were only partly noted. The condition occurs when the kidneys are unable to excrete the excess water and as a result the electrolyte levels in the body fall. This then leads to low sodium levels in the cells of the body which can result in death. It is very important to note that documented cases of this happening are very rare even in ultra endurance athletes and long distance runners. The best way to combat this type of problem is to drink sports type drinks that help the body replace the electrolyte in the body. For the average UK person these are rarely necessary and ordinary water is fine for most activities up to around an hour. If you are in any doubt feel free to check out the links at the end of this piece for more details.
It is possible to drink too much fluid -
Will water help me to lose weight?
The simple answer to this question is yes! Although the results of some studies do differ slightly, the common consensus of opinion is that drinking a healthy amount of water will help people with weight loss.
The first benefit that has been looked at is that when you drink a glass of water before a meal it is often reported to reduce the feeling of hunger. Often the body is actually telling you it is thirsty but you mistake the signal for hunger. We have seen this happen quite often on our health, fitness and weight loss holidays with guests reporting that they were starving only to find their hunger had subdued after they had quenched their thirst. Secondly having the extra liquid in your stomach can actually help give the feeling of being more full than normal - resulting in less kcals being eaten.
The result that seems to back up the findings comes through the way the body actually deals with water when we drink it. A study by M. Boschmann et al showed that when we drink 500 ml of water the body increases metabolic rate by up to 30%. It was shown that the increase occurred within 10 mins of the water being drank and reached a peak around 40 mins going on to last around an hour. The study suggested that if someone were to increase their water intake by 1.5 litres a day it would account for an annual increase in kcal usage of around 17,400 kcals. This extra amount of kcals ‘burned’ would add up to over 5 lbs (2.4 kg) of fat used up! This does not sound that much but coming on for half a stone a year of fat loss just by drinking water sounds like an easy result to us!
The simple answer to this question is yes! Although the results of some studies do differ slightly, the common consensus of opinion is that drinking a healthy amount of water will help people with weight loss.
The first benefit that has been looked at is that when you drink a glass of water before a meal it is often reported to reduce the feeling of hunger. Often the body is actually telling you it is thirsty but you mistake the signal for hunger. We have seen this happen quite often on our health, fitness and weight loss holidays with guests reporting that they were starving only to find their hunger had subdued after they had quenched their thirst. Secondly having the extra liquid in your stomach can actually help give the feeling of being more full than normal -
1. Boschmann M, Steiniger J, Hille U, Tank J, Adams F, Sharma AM, Klaus S, Luft FC and Jordan J. Water-induced thermogenesis. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 2003;88:6015-19
2. http://www.water.org.uk/home
3. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/nu00283
4.http://www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts/070606_fluid.pdf
5.http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/nutritionessentials/drinks/waterandsoftdrinks/?lang=en
3. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/nu00283
4.http://www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts/070606_fluid.pdf
5.http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/nutritionessentials/drinks/waterandsoftdrinks/?lang=en
Useful links and references