Just How Much Water Do We Really Need To Drink?

Tuesday, June 25, 2002

ROCHESTER, MINN. — You've heard it a thousand times: To stay healthy, drink plenty of water. Yet, you don't do it. You're confused on how much to drink; it's not convenient; you forget. No big deal, you think. Visit MayoClinic.com to get the details and facts on how much water your body needs. Or click http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=NU00248.

Besides helping your body run smoothly, some evidence shows that water helps prevent certain diseases. People who have had kidney stones can prevent further stones from forming by drinking lots of fluid. One study found that women who drank more than five glasses of water a day had a risk of colon cancer that was 45 percent less than those who drank two or fewer glasses a day.

So how much water should you drink?

The National Research Council (NRC) uses a sliding scale of 1 milliliter of water for every calorie burned. This scale is not for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding, infants, children and adults who are unhealthy. Patients with kidney disease or congestive heart failure need special instructions from their physicians. The NRC says the average man — who burns about 2,900 calories daily — needs 2,900 milliliters, or about 12 cups, of water each day. The average woman — who burns 2,200 calories daily — needs about 2,200 milliliters, or about 9 cups, of water each day. For your own calculations: One measuring cup of water equals 236 milliliters of water. Also, these cups don't have to be filled with water. Solid food contains water. You also can meet part of your water requirement through other fluids such as milk, juice and soup.

The amount of water you drink needs to increase if you are active or outside in hot or humid weather. To determine if you're getting enough water in your day, a ballpark measure is to look at the color of your urine. If your urine is pale yellow, you're probably drinking enough fluids. If your urine is dark yellow and has a strong odor, or if you go to the bathroom less than four times a day, you probably need to increase your water intake.

When it comes to water, play it safe. Make a conscious effort to keep yourself hydrated. Visit MayoClinic.com to get more details and recommendations on how best to make sure you're getting enough water.

MayoClinic.com is a source of reliable health information on topics from cancer to quitting smoking, healthy traveling and first aid. This site is produced as part of Mayo's commitment to serve as a dependable source of health information for the public.

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Contact:

Carol Lammers
507-284-5005 (days)
507-284-2511 (evenings)
email: newsbureau@mayo.edu

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