Although we take water for granted, the fact is that water is a nutrient essential to life. Your body typically loses two to three quarts of water each day through perspiring, sneezing, breathing, urinating, defecating and, for some women, nursing a baby. Depending on how much physical work or exercise you do and how hot or cold the temperature is, you may lose more. The best way to monitor fluid intake is to watch the color of your urine, which should be light rather than dark. Half of all the fluids you drink should be water. Tea, coffee, milk, and juice count as fluids, but the water in foods (for example, fruits, vegetables and soups) does not. Consider that fluid a bonus.

ROLE FOR ANTI-AGING:

Water is crucial for the organs to function correctly, the regulation of body temperature (thermoregulation), and for dissolving solids and moving nutrients throughout the body. Research has shown that proper hydration may help to minimize chronic pain such as rheumatoid arthritis, lower back pain, migraines, and colitis. Drinking plenty of water could help to lower the risk of heart disease and heart attack, according to results of a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology in 2002. Researchers found that men and women who drink five or more glasses of water each day are 54% and 41%, respectively, less likely to die from a heart attack than those who drink two or less glasses each day. However, the reverse appears to be true in people who drink a lot of fluids other than water. In fact, women who drank high levels of fluids other than water were found to be twice as likely to die as those who drank less non-water fluids, while men had a 46% increased risk of dying from a heart attack. The researchers suspect that water helps to lower heart attack risk by thinning the blood, whereas drinking other fluids thicken the blood, thus increasing the risk of developing a heart-attack triggering blood clot. Drinking plenty of water may also lower cholesterol and combat high blood pressure. Water can also improve mental performance, according to scientists from the UK. Researchers from the University of Bristol found that people who were thirsty performed 10% better on tests of mental performance if they drank a glass of cold water before taking the test.

THERAPEUTIC DAILY AMOUNT:

General guidelines for optimal fluid intake include:

* Aim for at least eight cups of fluid a day, half of them water.

* Drink some water first thing in the morning to make up for loss of fluids during the night.

* Drink a beverage with every meal.

* Don’t wait until you are thirsty; drink throughout the day.

* For every cup of caffeinated beverage you drink, consume an extra half-cup of another fluid to make up for caffeine’s diuretic effect.

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