How important is hydration, really?

The information is conflicting and at times, confusing.

Experts weigh in on how much water is enough and from which sources we are getting our necessary fluids.

Don’t underestimate water taken in by consuming fruits and vegetables which are over 90% water.

People eating healthy diets may require less actual glasses of water than others.

Proper kidney function is possible with moderate water intake and not the fluid loading that many of us have been led to believe is necessary.

Water is your body’s principal chemical component and makes up about 60 percent of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.

Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don’t have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions. Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired.

Water is crucial to good health but how much do our bodies need?
And what constitutes as water?
Fruits and vegetables contain water and can be counted in daily intake.

Our bodies are made up of about 60% water, and every system depends on water. So water is important for healthy skin, hair, and nails, as well as controlling body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure.

“It’s definitely essential,” says Jim White, registered dietitian and personal trainer in Virginia Beach, Va., and American Dietetic Association spokesman.

“What we’re finding is so many people are deficient,” he notes. “We’re seeing a huge decrease in athletic performance and fatigue that’s caused by the lack of hydration.”

You can stay fully hydrated throughout the day by drinking water and other fluids, as well as eating foods that are hydrating.

Water is necessary to regulate body temperature and to provide the means for nutrients to travel to all your organs.

Water also transports oxygen to your cells, removes waste, and protects your joints and organs.

A good estimate is to take your body weight in pounds and divide that number in half.

That gives you the number of ounces of water per day that you need to drink.

For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should drink at least 80 ounces of water per day.

If you exercise, you should drink another eight ounce glass of water for every 20 minutes you are active. I

f you drink alcohol, you should drink at least an equal amount of water.

“Drinking water cooled to 37.4 degrees may lead to a slight increase in calorie expenditure for an hour after you quaff it, a study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism finds. (The cool liquid forces your body to work to maintain its internal temperature.) And a glass before a meal—chilled or not—may curb your appetite slightly, helping cut calories.

And maybe protect your heart. When a National Institutes of Health–funded study tracked 34,000 people for 14 years, it found that men who downed five to six glasses of water a day were nearly 70 percent less likely to die of a heart attack. The correlation wasn’t as strong in women, but “it’s a very intriguing finding.

We are now following 96,000 men and women in another study and will see if the preliminary results hold.”