Jupiterimages/© Getty Images
Jupiterimages/© Getty Images
These are the questions I wanted the answers for when I edited the hydration story written by award-winning writer Rachael Moeller Gorman in the August 2011 issue of EatingWell Magazine. I got my questions answered and some really surprised me, which is what inspired this post. So here you go: 5 common myths about water and hydration busted!
Myth or Truth: I need 8 glasses of water a
day.
Myth. The Institute of Medicine says adult men
actually need about 13 cups (3 liters) per day of fluid; adult
women need about 9 cups (2.2 liters) of fluid. (You get about an
additional 2 1/2 cups of fluid from foods.)
“But one size doesn’t fit all,” says Leslie Bonci, R.D., C.S.S.D., director of sports nutrition at the Center for Sports Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and dietitian for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Your size and activity level affect your fluid requirements. Simply put, the larger and more active you are, the more you’ll need.
“The easiest thing that anybody could do on a daily basis is monitor their urine color,” says Douglas Casa, Ph.D., A.T.C., who studies hydration at the University of Connecticut. “Lighter urine color—like lemonade—means you’re generally well-hydrated. If it’s darker, like apple juice, you are most likely dehydrated.”
Older adults’ fluid needs don’t change, but they’re more likely to become dehydrated because their sense of thirst declines. Pregnant women and nursing mothers need slightly more water. Some medications, such as antihistamines and certain antidepressants, increase your fluid needs too.
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Water vs. Energy Drinks
Myth or Truth: Coffee and tea dehydrate
you.
Myth. While caffeine is technically a diuretic (it
increases water excretion from our bodies), you retain most of the
water from caffeinated beverages, such as coffee, tea and soft
drinks. Alcohol, on the other hand, particularly at high doses, can
cause you to excrete more than you consume. One drink, especially
of beer, won’t do much (it’s about 92 percent water), but wine and
hard liquor have more of a dehydrating effect because of their
higher alcohol content.
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Myth or Truth: The more water, the better.
Myth. It is possible to overdo it. Water
intoxication, or hyponatremia, a serious condition when blood
sodium levels drop precipitously, can be caused by sweating
excessively over several hours and drinking way too much water
(versus a sports drink) while not eating or urinating (which often
slows during intense physical activity). This could happen to
someone who engages in a long athletic event (e.g., a marathon or
multi-day hike). Symptoms include confusion, disorientation,
weakness and nausea. Hyponatremia can lead to seizures, coma and
death without prompt medical attention.
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Myth or Truth: Drinking water can help me slim
down.
Truth. “If someone chooses water in place of
calorie-containing beverages, overall calorie intake is less and
they may lose weight,” says Bonci. A 2010 study in the journal
Obesity found that adults who drank two cups of water
before a meal ate less at the meal and lost more weight over 12
weeks than the group who didn’t drink water before eating.
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Myth or Truth: Staying hydrated prevents
wrinkles.
Myth. When a person is severely dehydrated, skin
is less elastic. This is different than dry skin, which is usually
the result of soap, hot water and exposure to dry air. And, no,
unfortunately, drinking lots of water won’t prevent wrinkles.
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How do you stay hydrated?
Brierley's interest in nutrition and food come together in her position as nutrition editor at EatingWell. Brierley holds a master's degree in Nutrition Communication from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. A Registered Dietitian, she completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Vermont.
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