6 water myths you should stop believing in

1. You should drink eight glasses a day

The formula for eight glasses wanders from magazine to magazine. This absurdly simplified rule, published in the foreign press back in 1945, assumes that the liquid consumed (including with food) per day will be equivalent to about two liters of water. Water can be consumed in any form: in soup, juices, vegetables and fruits, tea. But the phrase "drink eight glasses of water a day" is taken literally.

Two liters is an average value suitable for a healthy adult who does not engage in manual labor. Men and women, athletes and office workers, residents of hot and cold countries require different amounts of water.

It is best to focus on thirst. If you want to drink, drink. The main thing is to replenish the loss of water that ensures metabolism, which is especially important for those who are overweight. Scientists from the Indian College of Medicine in Navi Mumbai conducted a study on the Effect of ‘Water Induced Thermogenesis’ on Body Weight, Body Mass Index and Body Composition of Overweight Subjects. on a group of people 18–23 years old who drank half a liter of water three times a day for eight weeks: before breakfast, lunch and dinner. At the end of the experiment, the weight of the subjects decreased.

Drinking pure water is also beneficial. Unlike juices, coffee or milk, water does not contain caffeine, fats, carbohydrates and other substances that can harm the body if consumed excessively.

In 2010, researchers set Drink water to curb weight gain? Clinical trial confirms the effectiveness of the simple appetite control method. that drinking water before meals reduces calorie intake.

2. You need to drink bottled water

This misconception is supported by quite objective data on the low quality of tap water in different cities of Russia. But if water that meets sanitary standards flows from the tap, you can drink it. True, this can only be checked in the laboratory, so it is better to filter the tap water and boil it.

Manufacturers produce bottled drinking and mineral water, and it can be the same liquid that flows from the tap, only more expensive. And mineral water is also medicinal - you cannot drink such water without special recommendations and restrictions.

3. Drinking with meals is harmful

It's funny, but this is what people say, convinced of the benefits of soups and the dangers of eating dry-boiled bread. In fact, drinking water with food helps the stomach to absorb what we eat.

4. Drinking during exercise is harmful

Old Soviet gymnasts sometimes say that fluid drunk during exercise increases blood volume, forcing the heart to work harder. In reality, everything is exactly the opposite. When fluid is lost, the blood becomes thicker. This makes it difficult for the heart muscle to work. Nutritionists and trainers advise drinking at any time during your workout, as well as before and after. The main thing is not to drink too much, but more on that below.

5. Don't drink too much

This statement is half myth. The thesis that drinking plenty of water interferes with losing weight has no scientific basis, because we remember that water provides our metabolism. Excess water is naturally eliminated from the body. If your body has a tendency to accumulate fluid, see your doctor.

To harm the body with water, you need to drink a lot of it, perhaps even against your will. Scientists from the Institute of Neurophysiology and Mental Health in Melbourne argue that when water is consumed in excess of the norm, a mechanism is activated in the human brain that suppresses the swallowing reflex.

Drinking more than three liters per hour is highly discouraged, especially for athletes. During exercise, sodium is removed from the body. Its deficiency in water consumption leads to hyponatremia, in which fluid is not excreted from the body, but accumulates in the cells.

6. Drinking plenty of water helps in the fight against ARVI and hangovers

Many people know that during a cold, you need to drink a lot of water, but not everyone understands why. By itself, water does not cure influenza and SARS. It replenishes fluid lost during illness, which is also important.

With a hangover, water is needed for exactly the same reasons. Alcohol intensively removes fluid from the body, so we need to replenish it. The benefits of a folk remedy for a hangover - brine - are supported by scientific evidence. The salt in the brine helps replenish the loss of sodium. The main thing is not to overdo it.