Most of us grew up hearing the maxim “You must drink 8 x 8ounce glasses of water every day” which most individuals found rather difficult to do. It turns out that this “8×8 rule” was actually conceived through misreading an earlier study and that here is actually no scientific evidence that pinpoints precisely how much fluid is the optimal amount.

The human body consist of between 60% and 70% water, and it is critical that this balance be maintained for good health, as every single cell in the human body depends on water for growth and function. The body loses water throughout the day due to normal bodily functions, which is why we need to constantly drink water.

A new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has discovered a swallowing mechanism that makes drinking too much water challenging and may actually even stop us from consuming too much liquid when we are not thirsty.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended, based on studies to date, that the optimal amount of total beverages to be consumed by women on a daily basis is around 2.2 litres, and for men it is approximately 3 litres.

The new study presents very contrary views though, and suggests that we should actually only drink water when thirsty.

According to study co-author Michael Farrell of the Biomedicine Discovery Institute at Monash University in Australia and colleagues, the right prefrontal cortex ‘overrides’ swallowing inhibition for excess water.

Participants in the study were asked to drink large amounts of water immediately after exercise, when they were thirsty, and later on in the day, when they were not thirsty. In each condition, the researchers asked the participants to rate how difficult it was to swallow water. Participants found it three times more difficult to drink water later on when they were not thirsty.

Certain areas of the right prefrontal cortex of the brain showed significantly higher activity when participants in the study had to make an effort to swallow the water, suggesting that this brain region “overrides” the swallowing inhibition to allow excess water consumption.

“If we just do what our body demands us to we’ll probably get it right – just drink according to thirst rather than an elaborate schedule,” say researchers.

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