Thousands have lived without love, not one without water, Here is why.

“Thousands have lived without love, not one without water ” has been aptly quoted by the the British poet W H Auden years back.

Water is essential .

• It helps in the digestive process , maintains body temperature and in the removal of waste products from the body .
• Water intake also helps to prevent formation of kidney stones.
• It also helps to fight fatigue ,when dehydration is the cause. Studies have shown that water boosts metabolic rate up to 30 percent within an hour and helps to accelerate weight loss by 44 percent. Thus water is the safest, simplest, and cheapest way to shun off extra weight .
• The average daily requirement of water is 2.5 liters in women to 3 liters in men .Water demand increases in hot climates ,as we sweat a lot and during exercise as well.
• While 20 % of water comes from the food we take , an additional amount of water in the form of beverages /plain water should be taken to complete our daily requirement. This daily requirement of water must be consumed gradually over 24 hrs ( till one hour before sleep) and not at a single time .

• A word of caution for patients with Chronic Kidney disease and heart failure patients. They should avoid excessive water intake to prevent worsening of disease.
• Passing high colored urine or being thirsty are indicators of water deficit in the body which must be addressed. Always keep a water bottle along with you, as water pollution is rampant .From Arsenic , copper to lead , lot of unwanted minerals are sadly found in our drinking water . Further, lot of pesticides find their way in our drinking water. Added to the list are nitrates and phosphates . It is estimated that water pollution kills more people than any war or violence, worldover. Thus we must test our water sources for unwanted minerals and treat accordingly particularly people consuming well water should do so.

Reference :

Peters JC, Beck J, Cardel M, Wyatt HR, Foster GD, Pan Z, Wojtanowski AC, Vander Veur SS, Herring SJ, Brill C, Hill JO. The effects of water and non-nutritive sweetened beverages on weight loss and weight maintenance: A randomized clinical trial. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2016 Feb;24(2):297-304.