Importance of Hydration
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Hydration is More Than Just ‘Obeying Your Thirst’

Water and Hydration

We all really need to drink more water; your body requires water to survive and function properly. The human body is made up of about 60% water. Your muscles and your brain are about 75% water. Your blood is about 82% water. And your bones are about 25% water. Drinking coffee and other drinks with caffeine do not count towards hydration because caffeine is a ‘diuretic’, which makes the body actually rid itself of water.

Your body requires water to keep up its many vital chemical reactions and maintain the right body temperature. Water also rehydrates you when you workout, since water is lost as sweat, and this can lead to dehydration if fluids are not replaced. Another plus to drinking water before and during exercise is that it can enhance your athletic performance. It also helps the body to get rid of waste, which can reduce the long-term risk of colon cancer.

According to a survey, nearly three quarters of Americans know of the recommendation to drink (8) 10 ounce (300 ml) servings a day, though only 34% actually drink this amount of water each day. Most people consume only about 6 servings of water a day and nearly 10% said that they do not drink water at all.

Here are some compelling facts about the importance of hydration based on a recent study1 . Experts found:

• About 75% of Americans were ‘chronically dehydrated’ (lacking water in the body).
• In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
• Even mild dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.
• One glass of water will stop midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied.
• Lack of water is the number 1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
• Research shows that 8-10 glasses of water a day can greatly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of those who suffer.
• Just 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory trouble and difficulty focusing on a computer screen or on a printed page.
• Drinking 5 glasses of water daily cuts the risk of colon cancer by 45%, breast cancer by 79% and bladder cancer by 50%.

1 University of Washington

Another great thing about water is that it’s FREE. Unlike drinking soft drinks that could cost you several dollars a day, tap water costs you nothing. Think of the savings each year!

Water also helps prevent bladder infections. Studies show that men who consume more than 10 glasses of water per day are less likely to develop bladder infections than those that did not. Water also helps keep your heart beating the way it should.

You might have already heard that our bodies can’t last more than two to three days without water, but that we could go weeks without food. Water is required for the very basic physiological functions such as regulating blood pressure, body temperature, hydration and digestion. The body requires about .05 ounces (1.5 milliliters) of water to absorb every calorie you eat. So, if you ate a single-patty cheeseburger that was 350 calories, you would need to drink about 17 ounces (500 milliliters) of water.

Soft Drinks

Active girls who drink soda drinks are five times more likely to have had bone fractures than girls who do not drink soda, according to a recent study2 .

A survey of 460 ninth and tenth grade girls found a link between drinking soft drinks and having broken bones. Girls drinking carbonated drinks were three times more likely to have a broken bone than girls not drinking them. Research has found that caffeine pulls calcium out of bones, leading to more cases of osteoporosis (bone disease) in the long term. This study attributes the bone damage in the teens to the phosphoric acid in colas. For more than a century, scientists have known that workers exposed to phosphorus had more broken bones. Sixteen-year-old girls currently drink an average of 2 or more 12-ounce sodas daily. For boys, they typically drink (3) servings of 12-ounce sodas daily.

All types of soft drinks are very acidic, especially cola/soda. In order to neutralize a glass of cola, it takes 32 glasses of high pH alkaline water. It is clearly known by the medical profession that disease loves acid. In fact, a top physician3 has said that if we could get our cells to maintain a normal pH (slightly alkaline), cancer would not be able to grow in the human body.

Another respected doctor4 stated, "Cancer is like a plant cell; it can't live in an oxygen-rich environment. Cola drinks make our bodies poor in oxygen. Cancer is the second cause of death in America. The average American is consuming 800 or more soft drinks annually." Be more responsible for your own life. Doctors have no responsibility for another's health.

2 Published by Grace Wyshak of the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS) in the June issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
3 Loma Linda University
4 Francisco Contraries, M.D., of the Contraries Cancer Clinic in Tijuana, Mexico

A 3-year study of over 1,000 men with a history of kidney stones showed: "There was a clear-cut difference in the group's experiences, with much less renal colic (pain) in the men who had avoided soft drinks. Of those who continued to use soft drinks, there was also a big difference in outcome depending upon the nature of the soft drink consumed. Soft drinks acidified with phosphoric acid were the worst offenders. Colas of all kinds, of course, are well known for their high phosphoric acid content."

The soft-drink industry as a whole portrays its products as being "positively" healthful, saying they are 90% water and contain sugars found in nature.

It is a fact, however, that soft drinks create health risks both for what they contain (sugar and various additives) and what they replace in the diet (beverages and foods with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients).

Nutritionally, soft drinks are very low in value. Their food energy comes only from refined sugar. Every element of nutritional importance, except calories, is zero.