Scientists have concluded that 8 glasses of water a day is too much

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Scientists have found that the recommended eight glasses of water a day may be too high for our real needs.

The recommended intake of two liters of water per day rarely meets our real needs, and in many situations is even too high. Given that about half of our daily water intake comes from food, scientists estimate that we only really need between 1.5 and 1.8 liters per day.

Previous research in this area has relied on surveys conducted on small samples of people, but now scientists around the world are collaborating to measure water turnover using the stable isotope method.

They surveyed 5,604 people aged between eight days and 96 years from 23 different countries. The study involved people drinking a glass of water in which some of the hydrogen molecules had been replaced with a stable isotope of an element called deuterium, which is naturally found in the human body and is completely harmless.

The rate at which excess deuterium is excreted shows how quickly water is circulating in the body. Those who live in hot and humid conditions and at high altitudes, as well as athletes, pregnant and nursing women, need more water, as studies have shown that they have a higher water turnover rate.

This study shows that the common belief that we should all drink eight glasses of water (or about two liters per day) is probably too high for most people in most situations, and a one-size-fits-all policy on water is not supported by this data.