Americans Misled About Drinking 8 Glasses of Water a Day

KPBS | By KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published July 29, 2008 at 8:31 AM PDT

This story was published more than 16 years ago.

Water is necessary for the human body to survive. And for decades, healthcare providers, nutritionists and trainers have recommended that people drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.

Tom Fudge : Drinking water is good for you. In fact it's the fundamental ingredient of life. Human beings are 80 percent water... or something like that. But do you really need to drink 8 full glasses a water every day? Minimum.

It's a rule that most of us have heard. And some of us have felt guilty because we haven't lived up to it. But where does the eight-glass requirement come from, and what happens if you don't drink that much.

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Guest

Heinz Valtin , physician and professor emeritus of the Department of Physiology at Dartmouth Medical School and is an internationally recognized expert on water balance in the body .