H2Ohhhhhhhh

My dad has always railed against the "64 oz. of water" a day theory. He actually went to UPenn. (where this study was done) and said he learned there that there was a study that said humans need about 64 oz. of water in their diet per day - but that meant water coming from fruits, veggies, etc. included - and it was misinterpreted to mean we need 64 oz. of drinking water a day ever since.

Research debunks health value of guzzling water

The notion that guzzling glasses of water to flood yourself with good health is all wet, researchers said on Wednesday.

Dr. Stanley Goldfarb and Dr. Dan Negoianu of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia reviewed the scientific literature on the health effects of drinking lots of water.

People in hot, dry climates and athletes have an increased need for water, and people with certain diseases do better with increased fluid intake, they found. But for average healthy people, more water does not seem to mean better health, they said.

Their scientific review, published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, is the latest to undercut the recommendations advanced by some experts to drink eight glasses of 8 ounces (225 ml) of water a day.

Dr. Heinz Valtin of Dartmouth Medical School in 2002 also put those recommendations to the test, finding them to be more urban myth than medical dogma and lacking in scientific basis.