The Great Water Debate Still Going Strong
We have all heard it, "8 glasses of water a day for overall health." Is it true or an old wives tale? In the past year, two large studies found a lower risk of long-term kidney decline among those who drink more water and other fluids each day.
An Australian report found that those who drank about 3 liters per day had a "significantly lower risk" of chronic kidney disease than those who drank the least. Another study in Canada had similar findings after controlling over 2000 men and women for diabetes, smoking, medication and other factors that can affect kidneys – the more water the better the kidney function.
Now, this is not to say that aggressive fluid loading is ok. In fact, the research still confirms that too much water is not healthy either. But the evidence does confirm that moderately increased fluid intake, above two liters per day will help keep the kidneys healthy.
William F. Clark, et al, "Urine Volume and Change in Estimated GFR in a Community-Based Cohort Study" The Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, Nov. 2011.
Comments