There is a popular belief that drinking lots of water is good for one's health. One classic recommendation from doctors to patients--nobody knows where it comes from--is to drink 8 glasses of 8 ounces of liquid beverages daily. Is this really true? Certainly we are confident that drinking copious amounts of water is a good thing for those who have a history of nephrolithiasis, but are there any medical conditions for which this is true? A review of the literature in a recent issue of JASN by Negoianu and Goldfarb concludes that there is no proven benefit--or at least, there is a dearth of clinical evidence looking at how much water is optimal to prevent various health problems.
What about phrasing the question differently: How much water is too much water? Due to our amazing kidney's impressive power to dilute the urine (in health young folks up to 50 mosm/kg/L), you have to try pretty hard to became hyponatremic as a result of excess free water intake. In 1998, a 28-year-old woman entered in a California radio contest in which individuals were judged based on their ability to ingest large quantities of water without urinating--termed "Hold your wee for a [Nintendo] Wii"--was found dead after ingesting several liters of water over a short period of time.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Renal Fellow Network encourages comments and discussion regarding the posts. Do not post any comments that are commercial or advertising in nature. Posts will be deleted if commercial or advertising comments are made. Internet users commenting on the Renal Fellow Network must post information which is true and correct to their knowledge. Sources to health/medical claims must be provided when relevant. Moderators reserve the right to erase, without notification, any comment they would judge inappropriate.