Is 8 Glasses of Water Per Day Overkill?

An anonymous reader writes: "David Harris reports in his science news that the American Journal of Physiology today published a study dispelling the 8x8 myth. That is, the recommendation to drink 8 eight-ounce glasses of water per day has no scientific evidence behind it. The paper also mentions the risks of drinking too much water and explodes some other urban myths of water drinking such as the 'thirsty means dehydrated' and 'dark urine means dehydrated' myths."

Comments

Sorry, No. It's not good enough.

[budalite]

5) Studies have shown...
6) I happen to know first-hand ...

Sorry, No, these kinds of statements are not ever 'good enough' and never will be. If you don't have proof available, keep your authority-loving opinions to yourself. I dearly hope you are never the doctor of any of my friends or family.

Bzzzt!! And NO thanks for playing

[A nonymous Coward]

1) How about some references for this, other than just your word?

2) Depending on how one quibbles over the meaning of dehydrated and thirsty, various correlations can be supported.

3) In other words, there are so many variables and exceptions, that dark urine doesn't mean you are dehydrated.

4) In other news, eating 25 pounds of food at one sitting can be hazardous to your health.

5) Further revelations show that alcohol is also a diuretic.

6) Certain myths are not myths as long as you account for the 1001 exceptions and variations that make them hard to pin down.

7) Just because you didn't cite any references other than your self-proclaimed "medical-geekness" doesn't mean there are no references, therefore we should trust you.

And just how much experimentation on your own have YOU done as a medical student?

Nope, not good enough for me. Go exhibit your ego elsewhere.