One gallon of water daily can be beneficial?!
- Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
- May 11, 2019
- 4 min read
Does Drinking a Gallon of Water a Day Have Benefits?
Hydration needs are individualized and vary according to body size and activity level.
Many people follow a daily recommendations of 8 ounces fluid daily which is equal to half gallon. While others believe that increasing water intake to one gallon daily is important for having additional health benefits.
In this article you will find the important of water, recommendations and others.
Drinking enough water is important
Water makes up to 60% of human body. It is an essential fluid for vital functions like bringing oxygen to your cells and regulating body temperature. It is also needed for waste excretion, joint lubrication and keeping tissues of eyes mouth and nose healthy and moist.
Should you drink a gallon of water per day?
Water balance is essential for the health and proper functioning of your body. Staying hydrated is important but again water needs are individualized and vary according to body size, sweating, fever and other factors.
While drinking enough water and maintaining hydration is important, there is limited research to support drinking past the point of quenching your thirst.
Given that evidence is lacking and many factors affect individual hydration needs, drinking a gallon (3.8 litters) of water per day is likely arbitrary and unnecessary — unless your body requires that much water for proper hydration.
Water intake recommendations
Water intake recommendations can vary based on your gender, age, medical condition, and activity level.
Adults
Most adults can meet their water needs by simply answering their thirst sensation.
While there is no specific recommendation for water intake, but the IOM suggests that most women meet their hydration needs when consuming 78 ounces (2.3 litters) of total water per day from both beverages and food while most men meet their hydration needs when consuming 112 ounces (3.3 litters) daily.
Athletes
Athletes can lose from 6-10% of their body weight as sweat during high intensity exercise.
There is no specific recommendations for athletes but what they can do is to plan to replenish your losses with increased fluid intake during and after activity.
Pregnant or breastfeeding women
Pregnant and breastfeeding women have high fluid needs.
According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), fluid needs are increased by 10 ounces (300 ml) per day during pregnancy.
Additionally, it’s important that breastfeeding mothers compensate for the loss of water related to milk production. The EFSA recommends that breastfeeding mothers increase their water intake by about 24 ounces (700 ml) per day.
A general recommendation for nursing mothers is to drink a glass of water with every meal and during breastfeeding to help meet their increased fluid needs.
Other considerations
Certain condition may require restricted water intake to prevent fluid accumulation while others need high water intake.
For example, congestive heart failure, end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and people undergoing dialysis are some of the more common medical conditions that require fluid restriction.
Other conditions like urinary tract infections (UTIs), constipation and fever may require increased fluid intake.
Water from foods and other beverages
You can meet your daily requirements of water throughout other beverages and food.
For example water comes from fluids like coffee, juice, and milk, and tea, count towards your daily fluid intake.
Food can contributes to water needs especially fruits and vegetables as they are high in water content such as cantaloupe, grapefruit and cucumbers.
On average, adults get about 80% of their water intake from fluids, while the other 20% comes from food.
Benefits of proper hydration
There are so many health benefits for proper hydration:
· Enhanced exercise performance. Adequate hydration enhance performance by controlling body temperature, and reducing oxidative stress during intense workouts .
· Keeps you regular. Low water intake has been linked with constipation. When there is too little water in the colon, stools harden and become more difficult to pass.
· Weight management. Drinking enough water is important while you are on a weight loss plan. Water can boost metabolic rate and enhance satiety feeling.
· Brain function. Maintaining adequate hydration helps your brain function at its best ability. Research demonstrates that even mild dehydration can impair brain function, memory, and cognition in adults.
· Prevents and treats headaches. Dehydration is a common cause of headaches and migraines. Depending on the type of headache, increasing water intake may help relieve headaches in those who are dehydrated.
· Promotes skin health. Increased water intake can help moisturize the skin and increase skin elasticity, keeping it hydrated and healthy.
Concerns
A gallon per day may be too much for some people while it could be appropriate for others.
In order to assess you water intake you need to look at urine color. Urine that is dark yellow to amber in color may indicate dehydration, while urine that is pale yellow in color means that you are properly hydrated.
Symptoms of dehydration are sticky mouth, headaches, cracked lips and muscle cramps. These symptoms can improve ounce you increase your water intake.
Although water toxicity is rare in adults, drinking an extreme amount of water in a short time can be dangerous.
Drinking too much water cause hyponatremia which is a very low salt level which could be fatal.
To stay hydrated and avoid water intoxication, it’s best to listen to your body. As a general recommendation, drink when you feel thirsty and stop drinking when your thirst is quenched.
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