DRINKING WATER

What does the research say?

Drinking water is important, we cannot live more than a few days without it. But how much? And what about quality? Is the water from the tap in Chicago the same as the stuff that I drink in The Hague? Decidedly not. Four years of living in Illinois convinced me that they pumped the water straight from a sewerage farm! Perhaps it's called Lake Michigan! So, if you are seriously interested in healthy living and the quality of your water is 'shit', sorry about my misguided sense of humour, then you might think water filters.

The wisdom of the ages suggests that we drink too little water, and there is an anecdote going back some eighty years to a medical doctor who suggested we should be drinking 8 glasses per day. It turns out that it was simply his opinion, and not based on any solid evidence.

There is little evidence that drinking the recommended 8 glasses of water per day improves your health, say scientists from the University of Pennsylvania. Kidney experts, Drs Negoianu and Goldfarb, explained that drinking extra water may be a waste of time. (Journal of the American Society of Nephrology)

It has been claimed that consuming lots of water clears toxins, keeps organs in better condition, improves skin tone and prevents you from putting on weight. The researchers say there is not one published study proving the benefit of drinking so much water for ordinary healthy people. It�s probably a myth.

Persons suffering from certain specific diseases do benefit from more water, as it clears certain substances like urea and sodium, and this may apply to healthy people, but there is no proven evidence.

Athletes

It is well known, and proven, that athletes should be drinking water, plenty more water. Amongst other things drinking too little water makes an athlete's skin tight and �dried out�, but there is not one study confirming this for ordinary people.

A myth - drinking more water reduces headaches.

Another myth is that drinking more water helps headaches. One small trial did not produce statistically significant data.

Weight loss?

Certainly there is no evidence that drinking more water will decrease your appetite, and help you lose weight. There is simply no research showing that it helps; it�s purely anecdotal and has no solid basis in science.

In conclusion

Drs. Negoianu and Goldfarb concluded that there is no clear evidence to indicate that consuming extra water is good for the health - they also stressed that there is no clear evidence of a lack of benefit. "There is simply a lack of evidence in general," they wrote.

As famous scientist Carl Sagan said: Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. We simply do not know. For sure, that is.

MOST IMPORTANT

Absolutely don't start your children on the notion of colas and artificially flavoured drinks stuffed with sugar/sweetners and chemicals. Drinking water, weak teas and the drinks suggested above are just as fine for your children as for you.

Our opinion? Certainly unproven, there is just no evidence!

Drink more water, but don't get neurotic about the eight glasses per day. And consider other delicious ways to get it down.

A little chopped fruit (mandarin, lemon, plum ...) in a pot of very weak tea is delicious. Kept hot, or cold, in a thermos makes it available for hours. Best strain off the leaves after five minutes, otherwise it gets bitter.

In summer, squeeze half a lemon (or less) and a teaspoon of honey into a couple of litres of water. Keep in the refrigerator, and enjoy it all day.

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