The Water Dilemma

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/29/health/research/29perc.html?ref=health

“Drinking a lot of water is supposed to be healthy, but there is apparently little scientific support for the belief.” Whoa. Now that turns a lot of things on its head. I am an avid reader of health magazines, namely that of Men’s Health. I have frequently seen studies pertaining to water and its benefits. All of them were convincing. So, all the studies were a load of bullcrap? Or the review of the clinical records were a bit off?

Several claims of waters were attacked by this article. The article says that water has no effect on weight gain. Contrary to this, I have read that drinking about 8 cups of water a day, for a year, helps your body burn approximately 17400 more calories a year (nearly 5 pounds). The article says that the knowledge that water removes “toxins” from the body is baseless. Contrary to this statement, I read about several accounts of men who have taken a supplement of amino acids, specifically Creatine, and ended up with Kidney Stones because of their lack of adequate hydration.

In the February 2008 issue, there were two articles that talked about the benefits of water. According to “German research” and the study author Jens Jordan, M.D., your metabolism will increase by about 24 percent after drinking a glass of cold water. In another study, by the University of Connecticut, they found that men who were hydrated before they lifted heavy completed 17 percent more repetitions per every set than those who were not. That kind of increase can make a huge difference in your gains for your workout. So apparently, these clinical records are calling these studies false, though apparently studies are meant to mimic the conditions of a clinic.

These researchers should really come to an agreement. True, though water seems to be beneficiary, “under normal circumstances, drinking extra water is unnecessary,” as the Dr. Stanley Goldfarb says in the article. For the purpose of being generally healthy, I don’t see why anyone would need to overdo it on the water. If you’re not thirsty, you’re basically drinking enough water. But I’m not one to say, the researchers are. Who is right?