Drinking water has health benefits.

The human body requires hydration for optimal functioning.

Severe dehydration can lead to the failure of certain body systems and even death.

Most Americans have heard the advice of drinking eight glasses of water a day.

According to a recent Money Talks News article titled “8 Glasses of Water a Day? Nonsense, Says a New Study,” recent research may debunk this advice.

Not everyone will require the same daily water intake.

Dale Schoeller is a University of Wisconsin-Madison emeritus professor of nutritional sciences.

He and his team of researchers studied the impact of water intake on the body and published their findings in the Science journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The study tracked the water turnover of more than 5,600 individuals.

These participants in the study came from 26 countries and included a variety of ages.

Researches labeled the liquid using traceable isotopes.

With participants drinking the labeled water, the research team was able to measure how much water entered and exited the bodies of participants and the time it took for the fluid to pass through the body.

What were the results of the study?

The researchers found the daily consumption of fluid ranged from one liter to six liters per day.

One liter contains about 33.8 ounces.

The amount of water turnover measured in the participants was impacted by age, activity level, pregnancy, sex, socioeconomic status, and environmental factors.

These environment factors include air temperature, altitude, humidity, and latitude.

The country of residence also influence need for hydration, specifically the Human Development Index of the country.

The Human Development Index was created by the United Nations and is assigned from measuring economic factors, life expectancy, and schooling.

Because the study found a wide range in turnover, the researchers determined the old adage of eight glass of water per day is not a helpful average.

Some people will need to drink more fluids than others, especially if the foods they consume contain less moisture.

While I am not a doctor or even a water intake researcher, conventional wisdom seems to recommend drinking enough so your "output" is the color of lemonade.

Reference: Money Talks News (Nov. 28, 2022) “8 Glasses of Water a Day? Nonsense, Says a New Study”