Drinking only four glasses of water per day, rather than the recommended eight, may result in mild dehydration, according to a study.
The 12-week study involved 10 college students who drank four, eight or 12 eight-ounce glasses of water per day in four-day increments. After each increment, the students’ body hydration status was measured and they answered questions about their well being.
It was found that blood plasma volume, which is a measure of hydration, was five percent lower among students who consumed four glasses of water compared to those who drank eight. Also, urine was more highly concentrated when only four glasses of water were consumed.
When students drank 12 glasses of water, blood plasma volumes were 10 percent above those measured when they drank eight glasses.
Drinking eight or 12 glasses of water resulted in similar reports of well-being, however, when students drank the least amount of water they reported being less energetic and less focused than when they drank more water.
Not drinking enough water can lead to headaches, grogginess and dry skin, or with severe dehydration can affect blood pressure, circulation, digestion and kidney function as well as many other body processes.
The levels of dehydration associated with drinking four glasses of water were mild, researchers said. They note that people who exercise or sweat a lot could need more water than normal to prevent dehydration.
Experimental Biology 2003, April 11-15, 2003, San Diego, California Abstract 204.4
Most of us need far more water than we drink. There are enormous negative health consequences that can develop if we ignore this basic need. You can review Your Body’s Many Cries For Water.
It is important to obtain your water from pure sources. I normally advise Reverse Osmosis water as that also eliminates the fluoride that is added to most municipal water supplies. Distilled water is fraught with complications discussed below.
I used to recommend one quart of water for every 50 pounds of body weight, but I now believe that might be too much for some people.
Through my experience with Metabolic Typing it has become very clear that each of us has widely varying needs. So some might need dramatically less water than the above article recommends.
A simple way to help you know if you are getting enough water is to examine the color of your urine. Ideally, it should be very lightly colored. If it is a dark color then it is highly likely you have very concentrated urine and will need to significantly increase your water intake.
This test is not accurate if you are taking any multi-vitamins that have riboflavin (vitamin B2) as that will color your urine bright yellow.
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