Why 8 glasses a day?

All I drink is water. At first I had a hard time with it. I was used to iced tea and soda. Then I had my baby and began to watch what I eat. I was told I needed so much water a day. Well, I decided after the third day of being dry of milk, there was something to it and started drinking pretty much all water. Now I can't stand to drink anything else and everything else makes me thirsty when I drink it. Side effects, I too have seen weight loss. My skin is clearing up and my joints have less pain. I don't really pee all that much more than I did before, but I actually GO now instead of a little trickle like before... Maybe 8 oz is based on an average per square body inch... Who knows? Maybe they tested people drinking various amounts and found that was the minimum for optimal health.

Kythe, Here is a simple calculation from my medical training that may help your body requires fluid to replace its hourly losses (urine, sweat, fluid shift, minor bleeds...etc) For the first 10 kg you need 10x4=40 ml of water for the next 10 kg you need 10x2=20 ml of water for every Kilogram of wieght after that you multiply by 1 So if you are a 70 kg person you will need 110 ml of water per hour to maintain good hydration status. Hope this helps

I drink lots of water also and I read that water also helps lubricate our joints. I know that I feel better when I keep myself hydrated. I do not get sleepy in the afternoon if I drink water all day long.

8 glasses of water a day is an average. If you spoke to a professional they would give you the exact amount that you need according to your weight and height and probably body mass. Drinking a lot of water helps flush the toxins out of your body. It should keep your skin clear and smooth. It also helps some of your organs work, like the kidneys. Water keeps them in working order. And of course you need to stay hydrated. I think there are many benefits of drinking water. I, personally, don't think I drink enough even though I have a water bottle with me 24/7. A lot of the time it is just by my side and I tend to run for food instead of taking drinks of water. When we think we are hungry we are really thirsty and we should turn to water first. I have been having high levels of creatine (creatinine) and was told by the doctor to drink more water. On my last blood test my numbers were way down but still a little above the norm. The week before I had that blood test I had a cold and was drinking LOTS of water. I believe if I hadn't had a cold and drank all that water the numbers would have been even higher. Because of this I now have to go see a kidney specialist. Keep drinking water. There is no harm whatsoever. Our bodies are made up mostly of water and we pee and sweat a lot of it out so we have to replace it.