I KNEW IT!

I knew it, I knew it, I knew it:

Doctors, nutritionists, and authors of popular health books all seem to agree on the importance of [drinking] 8 glasses of water [daily].

Any idea that has gained such wide acceptance must have pretty deep scientific roots. Right? Wrong.

Dr. Heinz Valtin, a Dartmouth University kidney specialist and authority on water balance, did what may be the most exhaustive study on the 8-by-8 [oz.] rule in 2003. It found no scientific basis for recommending 8 glasses of water a day.

The rule did not emerge from any scientific research or any established knowledge about human water needs. There's no scientific proof that humans need 8 glasses of water each day. Nobody even knows for sure who cooked up the 8-by-8 rule.

Thank you Michael Woods and thank you Toledo Blade.

Believe it or not, I've tried to get into this habit more than once. Yet the primary obstacle is not being unale to stomach that much water -- I quite like a tall glass of cold agua -- it's that the water out here is terrible. So bad, I'm told that straight tap water will kill your houseplants.

If I'm going to drink that much at home, I must be refilling my filtered Brita pitcher on a regular basis. Even at the office downtown, where the water seems to be filtered, it still has a funny aftertaste. Many people here buy bottled water by the SUV-load. With no SUV and no money to buy that much water, this is truly great news.

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posted by WWB at 5:41 PM |