The recommendation to drink 2 liters of water a day comes from a 1945 statement by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council. The recommendation referred to a person’s total daily water needs, including all food and drink, but this advice has been widely misinterpreted by people.
At least that’s what new research from scientists says. The new paper, published in the journal Science, investigated whether people really should drink 2 liters of water a day, and the results will surprise you.
‘If you drink 2 liters of water a day, you will only go to the toilet more’
The authors of the study say there is no real benefit to drinking 2 liters of water a day for healthy adults. However, it is neither beneficial nor dangerous because your body excretes the excess water you consume through urine.
Herman Pontzer, professor of evolutionary anthropology and global health at Duke University and co-author of the study, said: “If you drink 2 liters of water a day, it’s okay, you spend a lot more time in the bathroom.”
So how much water do we actually need per day?
The researchers said that as a result of their experiments, a person’s daily water need is indexed to the body fat ratio they have. The more lean mass a person has, the more water they need. Men need more water as they have larger bodies compared to women.
In addition, the amount of water your body needs varies with age. In general, our need for water peaks between the ages of 20 and 50 and then decreases in parallel with the slowing down of our metabolism. This is because the amount of water you need depends in part on your metabolism and the number of calories you burn.
According to the study, a standard man who is not athletic but not sedentary, weighs around 70 kilos in his 20s, is at sea level and lives in a developed country, takes in and loses an average of 3.2 liters per day in his body. For women, this situation is 2.7 liters when they weigh around 60 kilograms under the same conditions.
In short, it will give you how much water your body needs, not as much as your body, not general facts or findings. If you are thirsty, it is enough to drink water without delay. Don’t leave yourself thirsty.
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