Is there such a thing as too many liquids?

[Kelli Kerrigan]

I decided to keep a record of my daily consumption of water.....often times when I mention how much water I drink to people they give me a strange look.
As of 2 pm today I've had 108 oz of water, a 20 oz cup of mango black tea, and 3 cups of coffee at home before leaving for work.
Am I over-doing it on the liquids?? Is there such a thing?
I will have to cut myself off around 3:30 so that I can make it home on the 'L' comfortably and then will continue to drink water til I go to sleep.
Doesn't everyone drink tons of water?

Hey, thanks in advance for your help and opinions.....I have to excuse myself to use the ladies room.

[Terrytx]

Funny you should ask this question today...I was just asking myself this question a little while ago. I also drink alot of liquids.

[donleyk]

Kelli,

I try to drink plenty of water and at least decaf tea and coffee. I do have 2 cup of reg coffee a day plus the occasional 20 oz iced tea.

I am to the point where I don't pass up the opportunity to stop at the facility when one presents itself! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[emilycat]

There is definitely such a thing as drinking too much water, although I can't offer a very scientific answer -- hopefully some of our resident nutritionists can help us out http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Someone correct me if I'm mistaken, but when you load your body with too many fluids, you can flush out important nutrients that aren't absorbed by your body.
Athletes in particular should watch out for drinking too much water, because excessive levels can dilute the amount of sodium in your blood, leading to a condition called hyponaetremia, which can be extremely dangerous.

I don't feel qualified at all to tell you you're drinking too many fluids, but I'm really interested to hear everyone else's ideas.

Emily

[BarbaraL]

I'm no expert, but your liquid consumption doesn't sound excessive to me. As long as the liquids aren't alcohol, loaded with caffeine or loaded with calories! Although I did hear of a case where a man experienced "water poisoning." He was applying for a job and had to undergo a physical and drug testing. He evidently had done some drugs and tried to flush out his system by drinking literally gallons of water. He became very, very ill, by screwing up the biochemistry of his body. So you can even have too much water, but you have to try really hard.

[sneezles]

I agree with emilycat, I remember learning about this same thing but I can't sem to find any info on it. I do know that a sedentary female needs 8 glasses a day, someone who is overweight needs an extra glass for each 25 lbs. I had a friend who drank copious amounts of water during last year's MS150 (182 mile bike ride) and ended up in the emergency room

[kentgirl]

Here's one site that talks about this.. http://www3.ivillage.com/food/experts/askdiet/qas/0,5439,17843,00.html

[Don]

I'm certainly no expert on the issue, but drinking an excessive amount of water was the tell-tale sign of diabetes for me. I was drinking a little more than 1½ gallons of water per day. My mom even remarked that I was constantly drinking water. At the time, we had no idea that excessive thirst was a symptom of diabetes. Now that I am on a diabetic diet, I still drink a good bit of water (a little less than a gallon) but not like I used to. If you are feeling run down, have blurry vision, or any of the other symptoms of diabetes (check www.diabetes.org (http://www.diabetes.org) for more info), you might want to be checked out. My diabetes was found on a random blood test when my glucose level registered 700, which is in the danger zone for diabetic coma.

[kentgirl]

I agree with Don....my sister found out she had diabetes the same way....excessive thirst!


[This message has been edited by kentgirl (edited 04-18-2001).]

[LGBurns]

I have a question that is somewhat related. I know that caffeinated coffee and tea dehydrate you. Does that mean that you have to drink more water if you drink coffee than you would if you don't?

[hlao23]

I have read before that you DO have to drink more than the 8 glasses if you drink caffeinated beverages. I'm not sure where I read it. It does seem to make sense.

[AD]

This is interesting. I have digestive problems and take milk of magnesia on a daily basis; thus, I have an increased requirement. I get 10-12 8-ounce glasses of water, and whatever is in food. Some days, liquids nauseate me. Anyway, I have never had any fluid or electrolyte imbalances the past 4 years I've been on this daily regimen.

About caffeinated drinks-from what I understand, they do not remove water from your system. They get rid of only a small percentage of water present in the beverage itself, so there is actually some water gain even in caffeinated drinks. It is not necessary for one to drink more water to "make up" for caffeinated drinks.

[Sarah]

This has been interesting.
A couple of things: Yes, caffinated drinks are diuretics, so you do need to drink more if you drink coffee etc. Also, I've been reading a lot about how you need to drink you body weight divided by 2 ounces per day. I guess the easiest way to explain that is the more cells in your body, the more water you need. It means I need a whole lot more than 8 glasses a day!

Sarah

[This message has been edited by Sarah (edited 04-19-2001).]

[Jessica]

Well, this may sound flip, but if I am spending half my day in the ladies room, that is my clue that I have had too much fluid that day.

[lorilei]

On the other side of the coin, I've read that a way to gauge whether or not your body is GETTING enough fluids is by monitoring your trips to the ladies room (or mens room, as it were).

Apparently one trip every 2 hours is a good guideline...

I dunno -- when I'm busy, ANY trip feels like too many http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif But I do find I feel better when I drink enough water to maintain a 2-3 hour "schedule" http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Beth H]

There was an interesting article in the LA Times several months ago about liquid consumption. The authors were wondering where the "eight glasses a day" figure came from -- and, to their surprise, the nutritionists and doctors they spoke to admitted that there is no medical evidence at all that people need eight glasses of water a day. In fact, caffinated beverages such as soft drinks count as liquid drunk -- that is, they don't have as much "liquid" benefit as a glass of water, since they are diruetics (sp.), but they do have benefits. The article also said that people usually get enough liquid from the foods they eat to satisfy the body's need for water/liquid. Not to say that drinking a lot of water is unhealthy -- far from it -- but this article pointed out that most of us are probably just fine, even if we drink caffinated beverages or do not drink 8 glasses a day. A little food (or water http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif) for thought.

[lorilei]

Now seriously -- I'm curious about this? Isn't it bad NOT to drink enough water -- doesn't water help to flush toxins from the kidneys?

It would seem to me that relying on the "minimum" amount of water could be harmful to our systems...

[Beth H]

I think that drinking water has a lot of benefits -- good for the skin, makes you feel better, etc. I wish that I could still pull up a link to that LA Times piece. I think it really was trying to argue that people don't need to feel as though they "have" to drink a certain number of glasses of water each day.

[Kelli Kerrigan]

I know that my yoga instructor always tells me to drink lots of water after yoga or Reiki. It helps to flush the toxins that will be released after a session.
There has to be something to this. I'll do some research on it and report back.
Thanks to all!

[food girl]

As the resident dietititan I will throw in my nickel's worth.

Emilycat is right on about the hyponatremia. You can 'flush out' electrolytes from too much fluid.

Caffienated beverages DO NOT act as diuretics.

The 8 oz per day has no scientific basis.

I think that you should look at your urine (did I really just type that). If it is nice and pale that's good. If it is dark and strong smelling, well maybe you have had a vitamin and maybe you need some more fluids.

Drinking plenty helps digestion, muscle contraction, vitamin and mineral absorption and does help flush out your kidneys and bladder.

One last thing. This whole gotta-drink-more-water idea is pretty new. For hundreds of years the standard serving of beverage was 8 oz. Now you are hard pressed to find a beverage smaller than 16 oz! Have our fluid needs increased? No.

I was thinking back to the days when people farmed, remember hearing/seeing/reading about the dipper gourd in the bucket of water? With this in mind doesn't it make you laugh to see pictures of celebrities with these 1/2 liter bottles of water. Are we in some new danger of dehydration that our great grandparents weren't?

[makedah]

I want to echo Beth. The snopes website (which debunks urban myths) has an article about common beliefs about water consumption that quotes the L.A. Times article. I like the taste of clean water and enjoy drinking it, but I think of all those people who choke a gallon of it down thinking that they have to...

Read it here:
http://www.snopes2.com/toxins/water.htm

[KValley]

Wow. This is a fascinating discussion, but I must admit my confusion after reading through these posts and the websites. I fill a 64 oz container of water every morning and that is empty by noon or 1:00. Yes, I am in the bathroom at least twice an hour (lorilei, I could never make the two hour limit- I'm impossible on car trips and I MUST have an aisle seat on planes http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif), but as I work from home, this is a good reason to get up and away from the computer for a moment. I don't keep track of my water consumption after this, but I guesstimate that, with herbal tea and water in the afternoon/at dinner, I probably consume another 40-50 oz. My caffeine intake is 1-2 cups/coffee in the a.m. I don't really ever feel any genuine thirst, it just feels good to drink water!

The only way I can tell that this much water feels right to me is how I feel when I don't consume as much (on the weekends, or when traveling- when my routine is out of whack)- particularly in the mornings. I get tired, cranky, hungry, bloated. Is this dehydration, habit?

'scuse me while I pour another cup 'o tea.

Thanks for such a great debate. Julie

[Searcher]

This isn't going to be too helpful because I can't remember the name of the condition it caused, but I was watching an old episode of ER not too long ago and they had a patient who'd needed to take a drug test. Having taken drugs this patient decided to "wash" them out of his system causing him to be hospitalized. I'd ask your doctor how much liquid a day is too much. I realize that ER is a television show but most of their storylines are real, albeit worst case.

[MrsReber]

I do drink at least 64 oz a day, probably more, but I do get very thirsty if I don't drink enough. I do find that I don't get congestion and colds as much and that it does keep my skin looking great. I don't consume caffeine to begin with, but I always thought it made you retain water? Is that not right?

Anyway for the other pregnant women out there (and I know who you are!) one of the main reasons they tell us to drink at least 64 oz of water a day is because the amniotic fluid is replaced every so often throughout the day and it's important to have enough water in your system for this. My neighbor just had a baby and the doctor was trying to get her to drink more water while pregnant. She had low amniotic fluid- not good for baby!

I find in general that drinking enough water (not over 1 gallon in a day, however) keeps me from retaining water.

[maizeyoats]

This is from Dr. Weil's website and may be of interest to everyone.

How much water do you recommend a person should drink per day? What are the consequences of not drinking enough?

-- Nancy Riccio



(Published 3/6/97) Water is great medicine, needed to maintain a healthy body, a clear mind and a good balance within your tissues. There's more water in your body than anything else, with every cell containing mostly water. About 60 percent of your body is water, and you must constantly replenish the supply, as it's used up in the processes of life. Many people fail to drink enough of it.
When you don't have enough water in your body, your cells start to draw water from the bloodstream. The blood gets sludgy, your heart has to work harder, and your body starts to redirect blood away from less vital areas. Dehydration can set in even before you start to feel thirsty. This is a great strain on the body because it impairs the kidneys in their vital function of purifying the blood and helping the body get rid of toxins.

If you've lost just 2 percent of your body weight in water, your brainpower and performance level may start to weaken. Another 4 to 7 percent may leave you feeling dizzy.

The standard recommendation is to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses a day. I'm not sure you need to force that much down, but do try to drink as much as you can, and more than you think you need. When you're exercising, you need even more water because you're sweating and losing water through deep breathing. Of course, warm temperatures also increase water loss. Just walking for an hour on a warm day may increase your requirement by two glasses or more. An hour of tennis could require anywhere from two to 10 extra glasses.

Drink extra water whenever you think of it. When you start to notice an increase in urination, you're doing a good job. Even better, you'll notice your urine lightening up, looking less concentrated. Some people keep two quarts of water in the refrigerator and make sure they empty them every day.

Also, keep in mind you don't have to limit yourself to water. You can drink highly diluted fruit juice, herbal tea or a well-watered-down sports drink. Sparkling water with a little fruit juice or lemon is also nice. All of these count toward your 64 ounces a day. Drinks like cola, though, work against the count, because caffeine is a diuretic and removes fluid from the body. Three cups of coffee or tea are comparable to just two cups of water.

While you're doing all this drinking, make sure you're not adding new toxins to your body. Drink high-quality bottled water or, better, get a water-purification system for your home.



Dr. Andrew Weil