Drinking 8 glasses of water a day is essential for hydration

Question

It is known that drinking eight glasses of water a day is needed if your body is to receive the proper amount of hydration for the day.

Comments

This is True. Hospitals and clinical websites can agree with this with the Harvard Health website even saying 11-15 cups of water a day is the recommended amount. Drinking this much water a day can prevent dehydration which can make you have mood changes, can cause you to pass out, constipation and can help prevent kidney stones from building up, which is one of the worst pains someone can feel.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-much-water-should-you-drink

Answer 1

This claim is pretty well supported by the Mayo Clinic article they provided. However, drinking 8 glasses a day was not the end-all-be-all takeaway of this article. The article does highlight the importance of getting at least 8 glasses of water a day, but it includes that the amount of water you need depends heavily on your lifestyle. The article mentioned how the weather of your environment, the amount you exercise, pregnancy and breastfeeding, and your overall health may cause you to need different amounts of water; some people may need less, while others need more. So while drinking 8 glasses of water a day is solid advice and a helpful target, the claim that this amount is essential for hydration is not entirely true and differs by person. An article published by Harvard Health suggests that while most people need 4-6 cups of water a day, the amount of water one needs differs based on the person, corroborating the Mayo Clinic findings.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-much-water-should-you-drink 

Answer 2

The claim that 8 glasses of water is “essential” is false, but the point of drinking a high amount of water is crucial to hydration and a human’s well-being. The claim cites the Mayo Clinic’s article “Water: How much should you drink every day?” which does give some great insight into logistics of water consumption for humans like “The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is:  

- About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men 

- About 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women” 

While these points are helpful for understanding how important drinking more water than you think you should per day, nowhere in the article says that drinking 8 glasses of water is “essential for hydration”. The title of the claim very much aligns with the article’s overall thoughts, but the title is still misleading. I would make the claim out to be that 8 glasses of water is the preferred amount of water for humans to drink in a day, because the original claims use of the word "essential" means that you need to drink 8 glasses of water to be hydrated, which is not a claim that the Mayo Clinic's article ever says.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256

Answer 3

The widespread health belief that drinking eight glasses of water a day is essential for proper hydration is actually more complex than we think. Although it is widely accepted that eight glasses of water is the proper amount for healthy hydration, the exact amount varies based on your body, activity level, and diet. Instead of following a fixed number, it's better to listen to your body and develop an understanding of the amount of water your body needs. This claim is not completely false but not completely true, it simply varies. 

Carroll, A. E. (2015, July 21). Fact or fiction: You must drink 8 glasses of water daily. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-you-must-drink-8-glasses-of-water-daily/

Answer 4

This statement is true. I started off by looking up how much water is a good amount to get proper hydration. My results were ranging from 6- 10 glasses of water are needed depending on your height, weight, and gender. I would say that although this is a specific amount it still gives proper information on the amount of needed. The first places I found was Harvard Medical. In their study that did research on the amount of plain water. Although this study is almost 2 years old is lists all the benefits that it gives you to drink their recommend amount 6 cups of water. 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-much-water-should-you-drink

The next website I found was from the University of Missouri. In their study they said exactly 8 glasses but gave you a calculation to find the correct amount for your weight. It also talks about the problem with over drinking water.

https://www.umsystem.edu/totalrewards/wellness/how-to-calculate-how-much-water-you-should-drink

Answer 5

The claim that drinking 8 glasses of water per day is essential to hydration is false. The New York Times verified it to be a myth. Researchers wrote, "Contrary to many stories you may hear, there's no real scientific proof that, for otherwise healthy people, drinking extra water has any health benefits" (Carroll, 2015). After many many research studies to find whether or not this claim was true, nothing was able to find that it was true and that you are able to get most of your water from the food that you eat and do not need to be drinking at least 8 glasses per day. Mayoclinic, one of the best medical facilities in the world, provided evidence stating, "Most healthy people can stay hydrated by drinking water and other fluids whenever they feel thirsty. For some people, fewer than eight glasses a day might be enough. But other people might need more" (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2022). This provides that while it might help, it is not essential to living. Therefore, the claim is false. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/25/upshot/no-you-do-not-have-to-drink-8-glasses-of-water-a-day.html

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256

Answer 6

The claim that everyone needs to drink eight glasses of water per day to stay properly hydrated is actually a myth, according to some sources I found. While it is a popular guideline, it isn't backed by super strong and scientific evidence. According to the Mayo Clinic, the amount of water that each person needs depends on numerous factors including their age, activity level, climate, and overall health. They also point out that people can get a significant amount of hydration from other things like drinks and food, not just water. The University of Rochester Medical Center even refers to the "8 glasses" idea as one of the most common hydration myths. They explain that there isn't a solid scientific basis for that specific number and that again, hydration varies widely from person to person. Harvard Health also says that for some people, less than 8 glasses might be enough but others may need more. So while 8 glasses might be a reasonable and general goal since it is easy to remember, it's not a medical requirement. I think that saying it's needed for proper hydration oversimplifies what experts actually are recommending and ignores the fact that most healthy people can rely on their thirst.

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/publications/health-matters/hydration-101-drinking-8-glasses-of-water-and-other-myths-debunked

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-much-water-should-you-drink

Answer 7

Although drinking water is needed everyday, I think the claim of needing to drink 8 glasses a day to be seen as misleading. Although the source is a known reputable site, the actual claim made can be argued. In the source provided in the original post (by the Mayo Clinic) it says phrases such as "No single formula fits everyone. But knowing more about your body's need for fluids will help you estimate how much water to drink each day" and "For some people, fewer than eight glasses a day might be enough. But other people might need more." Mayo Clinic never explicitly says you need 8 glasses of water a day, only that it varies and only predicted/average statistics can be given. In the same source, they give the averages that men is around 15.5 cups, while woman is around 11.5 cups. Additional research from Harvard Health support this idea, by giving the same numbers of approximately 15.5 cups for men and 11.5 cups for women. Overall the claim isn't completely wrong, but does need additional context or rewording.

Citations:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-much-water-should-you-drink