Warning: Drinking 2 liters of water/day is a huge mistake
Many medical experts have proven that the information about drinking 2 liters of water per day is incorrect and everyone should stop drinking 2 liters of water per day from today to avoid future health consequences.
Why is drinking 2 liters of water per day unscientific?
Professor Aaron Carroll at Indiana University School of Medicine said that many scientists have previously recommended that people need to drink at least 2 liters of water per day, equivalent to 8 glasses of water. However, according to Mr. Carroll, the amount of water needed each day is not a standard number of 2 liters but depends on each person's constitution.
The water absorption needs of each body depend on factors such as age, gender, diet, lifestyle and the external environment including temperature, humidity, weather, etc.
In addition, human needs do not need that much water. Because the amount of water taken into the body each day is not only calculated by drinking water but also by water including 70% of rice, 80% of fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, watery foods... Therefore, sometimes just drinking tea after a meal is enough for the body to use the amount of water it needs.
Harmful effects of drinking too much water
Experts have warned that people should only drink water when thirsty. Because when the body needs water, it will send out information through this feeling of thirst. If we are not thirsty but still drink a lot of water, it will seriously affect our health.
First, drinking a lot of water dilutes the blood, causing the amount of red blood cells in the blood to decrease. At that time, if the heart beats normally, there will not be enough red blood cells to nourish the body, so they have to beat faster to avoid causing the body to collapse.
Second, drinking a lot of water reduces the osmotic pressure in the blood, causing red blood cells, platelets, and white blood cells to age quickly and die quickly, which is extremely dangerous for health.
Third, drinking too much water also puts pressure on the kidneys, causing this organ to work harder. This dilutes the electrolytes in the blood, lowering the sodium level, leading to many consequences that can easily lead to water poisoning.
Like the case of a 59-year-old woman in England last year who was hospitalized in a state of confusion and constant trembling due to drinking too much water. Every 30 minutes, this woman took in another half liter of water in her body, believing that she was purifying her body. However, this action led to a sharp decrease in the salt concentration in the blood, which would lead to death if left untreated. That is the phenomenon of water poisoning.
How much water is enough to drink a day
Research shows that under normal conditions, the amount of water needed for 1kg of body weight is 40ml, so a person weighing 50kg needs to drink 2 liters of water a day. However, it is not necessary to apply this formula rigidly, but to listen to your body or observe the color of your urine.
If you see that your urine is dark yellow, it means that you are lacking water and need to drink about 250ml immediately. If you see that your urine is white or light yellow, it means that your body has enough water and does not need to drink more for the time being.
In addition, when you do heavy work, sweat a lot and lose a lot of water, you also need to drink water to compensate. You also do not need to worry if you never feel thirsty because our body has the ability to self-regulate to signal the need to replenish water before actually becoming dehydrated.
In short, the amount of water we need to drink a day is not 2 liters, but this depends on each person's constitution. Therefore, drink plenty of water for good health but in each person's own proportion.