Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

July 25, 2008 7:28:20 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Water-Guzzling Benefits Don't Wash

Posted Apr 3, 08 12:22 PM CDT in Science & Health 

(Newser) – Kidney experts looking into the alleged health benefits of drinking lots of water have found the evidence to be far from watertight, Reuters reports. Claims that increased water intake improves skin tone, flushes toxins from the body, reduces appetite, and prevents headaches have little solid research behind them, according to a study to be published in the Journal of American Phrenology.

"Our bottom line was that there was no real science behind these claims and that they probably represent folklore," a researcher said. The findings pour cold water on claims that eight glasses a day boosts health, but the doctors emphasized they also found no reasons not to drink water. "Drink when you're thirsty," one said. "That's the way your body is designed."

Sources Reuters, CTV

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Marketing Coup: Just Add Water

    Jun 30, 08 10:01 AM CDT
    Marketing Coup: Just Add Water A commodity that's widely available practically free is also on sale for thousands of times the actual cost, repackaged as a luxury item. It's transported around the country and even across the world, generating untold volumes of CO2. It's water, of course. The Washington Post looks at a marketing effort that has Americans paying top dollar for repackaged tap water—and the emerging backlash. More »

  • Emergency H20 Flows Into Parched Barcelona

    May 14, 08 8:36 AM CDT
    Emergency H20 Flows Into Parched Barcelona Barcelona is having to ship in emergency supplies of drinking water as Spain suffers its worst drought since records began 60 years ago, the Guardian reports. The first shipment of 5 million gallons arrived yesterday and dozens more are scheduled. The city's reservoirs are down to a quarter of capacity with the summer heat weeks away. Water-starved agricultural regions nearby charge that the government denied their request for water for political reasons. More »

  • Drinking Water Myths Tough to Swallow

    Apr 22, 08 3:30 PM CDT
    With high-end restaurants offering diners tap water and concerns about the health and environmental impact of plastic bottles at an all-time high, NPR sets the record straight about some common myths related to drinking water:

    1. Not only is drinking 8 glasses daily not necessary, "nobody really knows" where that advice originated, says one expert.
    2. Water  doesn't help the kidneys filter toxins.
    More »

  • Em-Bottled SF Mayor Urges Restaurants to Tap City's Water

    Mar 21, 08 3:00 PM CDT
    Em-Bottled SF Mayor Urges Restaurants to Tap City's Water San Francisco’s mayor called on restaurants yesterday to quit selling bottled water and favor the tap, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Gavin Newsom, a former restaurateur, says the plastic containers pile up in landfills and hurt the environment. The request—which isn’t a requirement—follows Newsom’s ban last year on using tax dollars to buy bottled water for city employees. More »

  • Severe Psoriasis Linked to Early Death

    Dec 18, 07 5:31 AM CST
    Severe Psoriasis Linked to Early Death People suffering from severe psoriasis face a significantly increased risk of early death, according to new research. Those with a severe form of the inflammatory skin disease had a 50% increased risk of mortality compared with people without the disease, according to the study in the Archives of Dermatology. "More years of life are lost to severe psoriasis than to severe hypertension," said one researcher. More »

The researchers said it was fine to drink as much or as little water as one liked as long as serious dehydration or water excess was avoided.   (Getty Images)
Kidney specialists discovered that drinking more water did not translate into any clear health benefits.   ((c) Bludgeoner86)
Researchers found that while athletes and people in hot, dry climates needed lots of water, there was little to back up the belief that people needed eight glasses per day.   (Shutter Stock)
Water, specifically eight glasses of it a day, might not be as good for you as billed.   (Shutter Stock)
Water, specifically eight glasses of it a day, might not be as good for you as billed.   (Shutter Stock)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 1)

Tags

health  • medical research  • water  • drinking water  • kidney


Loading...

Loading...

Today's Most Popular


Other Science & Health Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »