Low liquid intake

scoii
scoii Posts: 160 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
What's the impact of long term low liquid intake on weight loss and general health.

For example, if someone regularly drinks 1 glass of water a day. Obviously some liquids come from foods buy certainly nowhere near the arbitrarily recommended 8 glasses a day.

Also, if someone had a step change to a "reasonable" amount, how long would it take to see some changes in health.

Replies

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,943 Member
    Why would you do that? The influence on weight loss is nill if you're talking about water. But your body needs a substantial amount of fluids to function properly as lots of fluid is lost from evaporation. Your kidneys would not be happy.
  • scoii
    scoii Posts: 160 Member
    edited July 2016
    It's not me. Just someone I know who can go all day without a drink at all but bizarrely has really really good skin and is never unwell. I was sure they would have major kidney problems as well.

    Even when I have persuaded them to drink something they feel nauseated.

    I imagined that without the fluids to allow your body to function properly the BMR may be reduced to some extent as your body isn't repairing as efficiently as possible.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    Dehydration is a big side effect. It can also lead to kidney stones.

    Do you drink any other fluid at all?
  • scoii
    scoii Posts: 160 Member
    She never drink more than a litre a day and that's exercise days. Typically half a pint of liquid in the evening and a soup for lunch.

    Im the opposite, if I don't get 6 pints minimum I get headaches and cold sores.
  • Pawsforme
    Pawsforme Posts: 645 Member
    edited July 2016
    Does she drink other things besides water -- juice, coffee, tea, soft drinks? How many veggies and fruits does she consume?

    It's often stated as a fact on here that one needs to guzzle huge amounts of plain water per day for optimal health (and weight loss) but that "fact" is quite false, with very little to no scientific evidence behind it.

    One does need to consume enough fluid per day to keep the body adequately hydrated. But that fluid can come from many sources besides water. Most fruits and many veggies contain a huge percentage of water. Soups, juice, coffee, tea, soft drinks -- all count toward total fluid intake. There's no proven benefit to consuming more than a body needs.

    And how much fluid one needs to stay adequately hydrated depends on several things -- Heat/humidity and how much the person is exercising, of course. But also size. A 100 pound woman doesn't need to consume nearly as much fluid to stay well hydrated as a 250 pound man.

    Here's an article written by a pediatrician for lay people. But it contains many links. You can also use Google Scholar to research the myth of "six to eight glasses a day."

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