Who knew? Drinking too much water is bad for you!
Clinical dietician Kulani Mtileni explains why...
POLOKWANE – There is no disputing the benefits of water consumption. We are encouraged to drink eight glasses a day and with heatwaves plaguing the province, staying hydrated is essential. However, recent studies have shown that too much of a good thing can be detrimental to your health.
Local clinical dietician Kulani Mtileni explains why.
“When you drink too much water you might end up overhydrated. Homeostasis must take place; this is the tendency of the body to seek and maintain an equilibrium. Therefore, drinking too much water can sometimes disrupt that equilibrium.”
Mtileni insists that on average, an adult needs to consume between 1,5 litres and 2 litres of water per day. This includes water contained in vegetables and fruit.
But what most people do not know is that you must drink water in accordance to your age and weight.
“There will however, be some people who require a little more water than others. Those are people that are severely dehydrated and sickly,” Mtileni continues.
He says consuming too much water is bad for the kidneys and can cause a condition called Edema.
Edema is a swelling of body parts whereby the excess fluid is trapped in tissue.
To avoid this from happening, Mtileni suggests the following:
• Stay away from foods or drinks that contain too much sugar as this may result in compensation by overhydration.
• Divide the amount of water you drink in a day to 500 ml every three hours. •
• Drink tap or bottled water, stay away from flavoured water.
