The Marginal Utility of Increasing Water Intake

The Marginal Utility of Increasing Water IntakeAll of us have heard the old recommendations that we should be drinking 8 to 12 glasses of water every day for optimal health. These recommendations are based off of older studies which looked at flat amounts of water intake and compared outcomes. New research is attempting to look at the marginal benefit as water intake gradually gets increased. By doing this, we can get a clearer picture of what tipping points are especially important in terms of water consumption.

A new study shows that upping water intake by even just one percentage point can lead to reduced caloric intake including less sugar, sodium, and cholesterol ingested. The study particularly looked at people who drink the average number of glasses of water- 4.2 cups per day- to see how they fared as they increased intake and the results were jaw-dropping.

Taking this further, adding a whole extra glass produces even more pronounced effects. As published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics the total cohort of 18,311 adults showed significant differences in nutritional intake as water consumption changed. These findings remained even when analyses were done based on different races, ethnicities, and income groups.

Drinking more water can help people keep down excess calories from junk food and filler foods. This is partly because water helps keep us full. In addition to this impact, water is vital in maintaining many of our everyday bodily functions. Our cells consist of a high percentage of water as does our blood. Water is also important in keeping the skin healthy and even in keeping ourselves cool as we often realize on hot summer days. A combination of enough water, a healthy diet, and regular exercise really provides the fundamental cornerstones of a healthy lifestyle. The data is really piling up on this and experts everywhere are falling in line with what the data show: water is very good for you and is almost a must.

Water really is an important part of our diets as health professionals including nutritionists have been saying for some time. From your local doctor to chiropractor to physical therapist, you have probably heard the benefits of water. Now we have even more data than we did to back that claim. So what are you waiting for? If you haven’t had your eight plus glasses today, go grab a glass! It may just help you live a healthier lifestyle.

Image credit: Aman21

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