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Eight glasses of water a day too much5 April, 2008 Drinking a lot of water does not do any good to the body, according to two kidney experts in the United States. In fact, they warn, drinking too much water could be, in certain cases, downright harmful. In a study, Dr Stanly Goldfarb and Dr Dan Negoianu, both of the Renal, Electrolyte and Hypertension Division at the University of Pennsylvania, the United States, have dismissed as “myths” the popular belief that drinking a lot of water clears body toxins better, improves skin tone, and helps reduce weight. The two doctors, who have published their findings in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, looked at data from clinical trials published previously for “solid scientific evidence of the health benefits of so much water.” Dr Goldfarb and Dr Negoianu say that they found little evidence to back the so-called health benefits of drinking half a gallon of water every day. At the same time, they found little evidence of harm in drinking half a gallon of water every day. It is widely believed that in some cases – such as athletes, people who live in hot, dry environments, and those with certain medical conditions – drinking a lot of water indeed helps, but no studies have been done to assess the benefits of this practice in average, healthy people, the website medheadlines.com reports. The two US researchers, the website added, could not find any documented evidence to support the theory that water sipped slowly over the course of the day instead of taken in big gulps would improve the function of organs throughout the body. The study at the University of Pennsylvania also examined reports that some people experienced an increased incidence of headache when their consumption of water was low. In one small study, which the doctors reviewed, the group drinking the most water reported fewer headaches than the control group, “but the difference in the number of headaches was so small between the two groups as to be considered insignificant.” The researchers concluded that there is no scientific proof to establish that average, healthy people needed to drink at least 8 glasses of water each day. The website medheadlines.com says that, according to an Indian doctor, drinking excess of water is harmful, especially for people suffering from kidney diseases. Dr Anoop Misra, of the Department of Internal Medicine, Fortis Hospitals, was quoted as saying, “Consuming too much water reduces the sodium level in the body. If water enters the body more quickly than it can be removed, body fluids are diluted and a potentially dangerous shift in electrolyte balance can occur.”
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