Drinking enough water can help with weight loss and prevent kidney stones as well as migraines, urinary tract infections, and low blood pressure, according to a new systematic review of 18 randomized clinical trials.
A systematic review of 18 randomized clinical trials found that interventions that increased water intake (or decreased intake in some studies) were associated with statistically significant increases in weight loss and reductions in kidney stone events. A single study suggested benefits related to migraine prevention, urinary tract infections, diabetes management, and lower blood pressure, but did not reach statistical significance. Image credit: Günther.
Water is a major component of the human body and is considered an essential nutrient that cannot be produced in sufficient quantities through metabolism.
The National Academy of Medicine recommends a daily fluid intake of approximately 13 8-ounce cups for men and 9 cups for women.
A common public health recommendation is to drink 8 cups of water per day, but the evidence supporting this is not clear.
Determining a single optimal daily water intake is a difficult concept, given the wide variation in body weight, activity levels, and health status at the population level, and the numerous mechanisms that regulate water balance.
Because of the known negative effects of dehydration, behavioral factors and hydration status have been widely studied in relation to health conditions.
Professor Benjamin Breyer of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues aimed to summarize the evidence from randomized clinical trials on the effects of increasing daily water intake on health-related outcomes.
“We wanted to take a closer look at such a ubiquitous and simple intervention, as the evidence is not clear and the benefits are not well established,” Professor Breyer said.
“Although the amount of rigorous research turned out to be limited, there were statistically significant benefits in some specific areas.”
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to broadly evaluate the benefits of water intake on clinical outcomes.”
Researchers have found the most evidence supporting drinking water to prevent kidney stones and lose weight.
Drinking 8 cups of water a day significantly reduced the chance of kidney stones recurring.
Some studies have found that drinking about 6 glasses of water a day can help adults lose weight.
However, a study of adolescents found that drinking just over 8 cups of water a day had no effect.
Still, encouraging people to drink water before meals is a simple and inexpensive intervention that could have significant benefits, given the rise in obesity.
Other studies have shown that water can help prevent migraines, manage diabetes and low blood pressure, and prevent urinary tract infections.
Adults with recurring headaches felt better after drinking more water for three months.
Drinking about 4 more cups of water a day helped diabetics with elevated blood sugar levels.
Drinking an additional 6 cups of water per day also helped women with recurrent urinary tract infections. The number of infected people has decreased and the time between infections has increased.
And drinking more water helped young people with low blood pressure.
“Dehydration has been shown to be particularly harmful for people with a history of kidney stones or urinary tract infections,” says Professor Breyer.
“On the other hand, people who sometimes suffer from frequent urination may benefit from drinking less alcohol. There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to water consumption.”
of the team paper Published in a magazine JAMA network open.
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Nizar Hakam others. 2024. Results of randomized clinical trials testing changes in daily fluid intake: a systematic review. JAMA Net Open 7 (11): e2447621;doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.47621
Source: www.sci.news
