According to several health experts and authorities, this truth deserves to be questioned. Between the recommendations variable according to the country, the differences in weight and the specific medical conditions, the science of hydration is more nuanced than it seems. The American urologist Rena Malik has also made it its subject of study: for her, the right dosage is not measured in universal liters, but in milliliters per kilo.
Drink according to your weight, not according to a magic figure
If the human body is an average of 60 % water, this proportion increases to 70 % for the brain and 80 % for blood. No wonder hydration is essential to maintain our vital functions. However, not all organizations have the same needs.
The World Health Organization offers a more individualized formula: around 35 milliliters of water per kilo of body weight and per day. This means that a 70 -kilo person should consume about 2.45 liters of water daily. National American medical academies go even further: they recommend 3.7 liters per day for men and 2.7 liters for women, including all liquids, including those contained in food. Significant differences, which show how much the two -liter rule is only simplification.
Why should neither too little nor too little
According to Rena Malik, it is not only a quantity, but also regularity. “”Drinking too little water means that urine becomes very concentrated“, She explains. Dark or fragrant urine can be the first sign of insufficient hydration. Worse still, this concentration can irritate the bladder and cause frequent or urgent desires to urinate, including without pathological reason.
But conversely, drinking excessively can be just as problematic. “”Sometimes if you drink too much, you can reduce salt in your body and cause what is called hyponatremia“, Alerts the expert. This condition, still too little known, occurs when the concentration of sodium in the blood becomes dangerously low. It can cause nausea, headache, confusion and, in extreme cases, serious neurological complications.
For people at risk, especially those subject to recurring urinary tract infections, adjusting their hydration by following the recommendations of their doctor becomes essential. It is therefore not a question of drinking a lot, but of drinking intelligently, according to your real needs and your state of health.
How to adapt your daily consumption
Rena Malik does not call into question the interest of remaining hydrated, but she insists on common sense. No need to force yourself to finish a bottle of water if you are not thirsty. Instead of following arbitrary figures, it is better to learn to listen to your body and identify the subtle signs of dehydration or excess.
Here are some simple benchmarks to integrate:
- Observe the color of your urine: it must be clear to slightly yellow;
- Drink at regular intervals, especially in the event of physical activity, heat or illness;
- Also count the liquids of soups, fruits and vegetables, which contribute to your global contribution;
- Adjust your consumption according to your weight (35 ml/kg/day is a good starting point);
- Avoid drinking massively at once: it is better to split the catches during the day.
In short, the best amount of drinking water is not a universal value, but a balance to be found on a daily basis. A balance that may start by saying goodbye to the two liters imposed, to better listen to what our body really tells us.