Experts Still Don’t Agree About How Much Water We Need Daily
Written by Liz Scherer
Jan. 19, 2023 – Water is the key to human life. It helps cells survive, it lubricates our joints and helps our metabolism, breathing, waste removal, and temperature regulation.
We can’t survive without it for longer than 3 days. And while scientists, doctors, public health authorities, dietitians, and nutritionists can agree on its importance, one critical question remains: How much water should we be drinking?
For years, we’ve heard that it would be best if humans had at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily. Recently, two studies, published only months apart, resulted in a barrage of headlines about daily water intake, only furthering confusion.
“Why you don’t need to drink 8 cups of water a day” – The Washington Post, Dec. 6
“8 cups of water a day could be too much” — NPR, Dec. 7
“Drink more water: Staying well-hydrated linked to developing fewer chronic conditions, study says.” – USA Today, Jan. 3
Recommendations to drink eight 8-ounce glasses (or 64 ounces, or 1 liter) have been misinterpreted, says Dale Schoeller, PhD, a professor emeritus of nutritional sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and co-author of one of the studies fueling the latest questions.
“The scientific recommendation was based on all water intake, water and food, you know – an apple contains so much water; soup, so much water per gram, things like that,” he says. “For the most part, there’s no accurate and precise method of water intake.”
