We often hear drinking eight glasses of water a day is healthy. But what are the actual health benefits?
A US study published in JAMA Network Open has found that drinking enough water can help with weight loss, migraine, urinary tract infections and low blood pressure, prevent kidney stones and control diabetes and blood glucose levels. Researchers analysed data from 18 randomised controlled trials.
The greatest benefits were seen with preventing kidney stones and helping people lose weight. For people who had kidney stones, drinking eight glasses of water a day significantly reduced the risk of recurrence.
Drinking about six glasses of water a day appeared to help adults lose weight. With the growing prevalence of obesity, drinking water before meals could be a simple strategy to help people lose weight, the authors suggested.
Drinking more water helped adults with recurrent headache or migraine feel better and helped people with diabetes control their blood glucose levels. Increasing water intake helped women with recurrent urinary tract infections. It reduced the number of episodes and increased the amount of time between them. And drinking more water helped young adults with low blood pressure.
