How much water is really healthy every day

Listen to the thirst: About one and a half liters of water a day are healthy

24/10/2012

When it comes to drinking opinions differ. While many people are constantly sipping a bottle of water, others only drink a glass of water two or three times a day. Experts advise low-energy unsweetened drinks to balance the fluid balance.

How much water does the human body need??
By transpiration and metabolic processes, the person excretes daily about 2.5 liters of water, which must be compensated through the fluid intake by eating and drinking again. An adult should drink about 1.5 liters a day. The remaining liquid is taken up with the food.

The fluid house plays an important role in the human body. Not least because the body consists of about 60 percent water, the brain even 80 percent. „In the body, water is needed as a means of dissolving, transporting and excreting, "explains Susann-Cathérine Ruprecht, spokeswoman for the German Institute for Nutritional Research (DIfE) in Potsdam.If the person drinks too little, the fluid balance in the imbalance and certain processes, such as For example, the supply of sodium, are disturbed in their processes. „Physical and mental performance is impaired at around three percent fluid loss, "reports Ruprecht, which may include symptoms such as dry mouth and thick saliva, poor appetite, constipation, tiredness and fatigue, as well as confusion and mental retardation.
Those who do not drink enough also excrete less urine than usual. In addition, this is darker colored. A healthy person should excrete about half a liter of urine a day. To determine whether the body is supplied with sufficient fluid, a skin fold on the arm can be easily pulled up. If it stops briefly after releasing it, this is an indication of lack of fluid. With sufficient fluid supply, it would immediately pass again.

Thirst should decide about drinking behavior
„When the body has lost half a percent of water, our feeling of thirst is felt, "says Ruprecht," The feeling of thirst should not be ignored, but in any case, breastfeeding. "A glass of water is often enough Antje Gahl of the German Nutrition Society (DGE) in Bonn points out that it is most important, „Accordingly, they should contain little or no sugar, especially mineral water, but also unsweetened teas and diluted fruit juices are recommended by experts Contrary to rumor rumors is the drinking of caffeinated coffee and tea Not healthy for healthy people, as long as the caffeine is well tolerated, neither coffee nor tea deprive the body of water.

Sweetened sodas are less suitable than thirst quenchers because they are very high in calories. The same applies to fruit juices, which contain not only plenty of vitamins but also calories. Mixed with water, fruit juices are as Schorle in moderation but well suited to quench your thirst. With milk restraint is necessary, because a glass of milk corresponds to a small meal. Alcoholic drinks are not suitable for thirst quenching. „At most half a liter of beer for a male adult, that is just acceptable, "advises Gahl. For women, about half of the crowd is.

Drink evenly throughout the day
The nutritionist recommends that you keep an even amount of fluid throughout the day. If you drink a lot at once, you can not create a fluid depot in the body, because it excretes the amount that it can not consume.

Anyone who takes a long drink break or only takes very little liquid can not immediately compensate for the lack of liquid with a larger amount of water „A large fluid loss can not be compensated in the short term. "Ruprecht says that until the body's fluid balance is restored to equilibrium, 24 laps can pass.The human gut is able to absorb about 500 to 800 milliliters of water every hour. If this is simply eliminated again, one glass of water per hour corresponds to the optimum amount of liquid.

Nevertheless, experts advise against overly strict drinking rules. „Drinking is such an essential mechanism, but you do not need any rules“, says Uwe Knop, author of the book „Hunger & desire. "In his opinion, a healthy person needs „no drinking alarm clock or something similar, you can just drink to feel ".

Thirstiness subsides in old age: fluid requirements remain almost the same
„In old age the thirst often fades, "says Gahl. „However, the need is actually there. "Dehydration is particularly dangerous for the elderly, infants and toddlers, and if in doubt, medical advice should be sought and people on a diet should be well hydrated. the body also lacks the water it contains.

Who drives a lot of sports, has an increased fluid requirement. Nevertheless, especially during physical exertion, the feeling of thirst is often ignored. „It is a well-known problem that there is often too little drinking in sports situations, "confirms Professor Daniel König from the Institute for Sports and Sports Science at the University of Freiburg, who considers strict drinking control to be unnecessary even for athletes. „The recommendation that athletes should constantly monitor the color of their urine, I think is exaggerated.“

From a duration of one hour should be paid attention to a reasonable amount of drink during exercise, advises the sports physician. There is no danger of dehydration in healthy people when exercising for 20 minutes.

A health risk nobody takes, who drinks too much. In it, the experts agree. „The body can handle ten liters a day without any problems, "explains Gahl. Very rare deaths from overhydration are king known only from extreme sports events: „The body then loses, among other things by drinking too much sodium. "

Encourage children to drink water
Children often forget the handle of the water glass when playing or at school. Children have a particularly high need for fluid. Because the younger a person is, the higher his water content in the body. The Foundation for Child Health therefore recommends solid drinking rituals that can help provide the children with sufficient and healthy fluids. „Through fixed rituals neither the children nor the parents forget to drink enough“, explains the social pedagogue Gritli Bertram from Hannover. „A glass of water immediately after getting up, for example, could be such a ritual.“

While children were formerly forbidden to drink during meals to counteract premature satiety, today it is common to drink a glass of water to eat. „A glass of apple juice at each meal is generally well received by children. Parents often do not even have to encourage children to drink“, reports the social worker. (Ag)

Also read:
Helps to drink water while losing weight?
Signs of internal dehydration (dehydration)

Image: Maren Beßler