Water is often the first drink that comes to mind when people think of a low-calorie beverage. It's calorie-free, tasteless, odorless, and has been a popular choice for centuries due to its widespread availability. Water offers many benefits that contribute to overall health and well-being, in addition to being calorie-free. Some studies suggest drinking an average of 8 glasses of water a day to reap all the benefits.
The Importance of Hydration
All living organisms need water to survive, and drinking water is one of the main ways we get water into our bodies. Getting enough water every day is important for health. Drinking water helps prevent dehydration, which can cause unclear thinking, mood changes, overheating, constipation, and kidney stones. Daily water intake recommendations vary by age, sex, pregnancy status, activity level, and breastfeeding status. Daily water intake is mostly from water and other beverages.
Types of Drinking Water
While they may taste the same, there are several types of drinking water, including:
- Tap water
- Electrolyte water
- Purified water
- Distilled or deionized water
- Alkaline water
- Mineral or spring water
Health Benefits of Drinking Water
Hydrated and Radiant Skin
Skin, the body's largest organ, suffers when dehydrated. No one wants their skin to look thirsty, peeling, and tight on a regular basis. While skincare products can offer short-term results, water addresses the problem from the inside for a naturally hydrated and glowing appearance. Water plumps and softens the skin, minimizing wrinkles and fine lines thanks to the extra hydration.
Healthy and Strong Hair
Water is a therapy for your hair because it cleanses all of the dirt on your scalp, which strengthens your hair and gently repairs it in the future. Similar to skin, water works internally to give your hair strands life and the extra moisture needed to be softer and shinier.
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Natural Mood Booster
Staying hydrated throughout the day can help relieve headaches and tiredness, according to studies. Dehydration can be very stressful and uncomfortable, especially during high-intensity activities such as climbing stairs, exercising, or being exposed to excessive heat.
Reduced Joint Pain
Staying hydrated lubricates the joints and helps prevent muscle spasms. Dehydration can cause discomfort and complications in other areas of the body, including the back and brain functions.
Relief from Constipation
Drinking water can help with constipation, a common issue affecting millions of Americans.
Appetite Suppression
Water can help you feel fuller, which can lead to eating less. It is recommended to drink a glass of cold water half an hour before each meal to help you feel fuller. The body produces more energy to warm the water, which burns calories. Water is a great substitute for other beverages, allowing you to quench your thirst without consuming the unnecessary calories found in juice, soda, and other drinks.
Mineral Water Benefits
Mineral water, also known as spring water, comes from natural springs where underground water emerges from an opening in the earth's surface. It can also be artificially produced by adding salts to distilled water or carbonating it with carbon dioxide. Mineral water is naturally carbonated to varying degrees.
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The nutritional content of mineral water varies, but it typically contains minerals like calcium carbonate, magnesium sulfate, potassium, and sodium sulfate, as well as gases like carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide.
Mineral water is known to provide multiple health benefits due to its carbonation and mineral content, including:
Contributing to Heart Health
One study showed that post-menopausal women who drank 1 liter of mineral water daily for two months experienced lower levels of bad (LDL) cholesterol and higher levels of good (HDL) cholesterol. Mineral water helps keep your heart healthy and working properly because high cholesterol increases your risk of heart disease and other conditions.
Lowering Blood Pressure
A 2004 study found that mineral water significantly decreased blood pressure in subjects with borderline hypertension (high blood pressure) and low levels of calcium and magnesium after four weeks of consumption.
Relieving Symptoms of Constipation
For people with dyspepsia (indigestion) and constipation, carbonated mineral water can decrease constipation and improve its symptoms and gallbladder function.
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Potential Risks of Drinking Mineral Water from Plastic Bottles
Drinking mineral water from plastic bottles may pose certain risks, including:
Consuming Microplastics
Bottled water contains microplastics, which are small pieces of plastic debris. Most bottled water comes in bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), also known as plastic #1. Research shows that PET can act as an endocrine disruptor, which changes your hormonal systems. Plastic #7, another type of plastic used for bottling water, contains bisphenol A (BPA). Exposure to BPA is linked to fertility issues, problems with brain development, cancer, and heart issues. BPA can be released in other plastic as well, especially in high temperatures or if the bottle is stored for an extended period of time.
Stomach Upset
Highly carbonated mineral water can cause stomach upset, including bloating. People with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) should avoid carbonated beverages.
Water Intoxication
Drinking too much water quickly can dilute the amount of sodium in your body, leading to an imbalance called hyponatremia. Sodium is an electrolyte that helps regulate the water in your cells, and too much water can lead to an imbalance, creating a condition called hyponatremia.
Mineral Water Consumption Guidelines
For water to be labeled as mineral water, it must contain at least 1,500 milligrams per liter of total dissolved minerals, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The mineral content varies widely between different kinds of mineral water, so there isn't a recommended daily amount. Adults typically require 1,000 milligrams of calcium, but this varies by age, gender, and condition.
Detox Water: Benefits and Myths
Detox water is water infused with the flavors of fresh fruits, vegetables, or herbs. It is sometimes referred to as fruit-infused water or fruit-flavored water. Detox water contains very few calories because it’s made by infusing flavor, rather than juicing or blending. Making detox water at home is very simple and involves chopping your ingredients and adding them to hot or cold water, depending on your preference.
Some popular detox water recipe combinations include cucumber and mint, lemon and ginger, blackberry and orange, lemon and cayenne pepper, watermelon and mint, grapefruit and rosemary, orange and lemon, lemon and lime, strawberry and basil, and apple and cinnamon.
Drinking detox water could help you lose weight, improve your digestive health, and make you happier. However, it’s worth noting that you’ll also get all these benefits from drinking regular water.
Benefits of Detox Water
- Helps with weight loss: Water has been shown to temporarily raise your metabolic rate, so you burn more calories.
- Improves digestive health: Hydration is important for digestive health and maintaining regular bowel movements.
- Improves mood and energy levels: Even mild dehydration can affect mood, concentration, and energy levels.
- Boosts immune function: The amount of these nutrients that you’d get from an infusion like detox water is likely to be minimal and highly variable.
Myths About Detox Water
- Myth 1: It detoxifies your body: Your body has well-designed detox pathways that eliminate toxins from the body. There’s currently no evidence that any product or diet speeds them up or makes them more efficient.
- Myth 2: It balances your pH: It’s impossible to alter the pH of your blood or cells through the foods you eat.
- Myth 3: It improves your complexion: There’s no evidence that detox water is more effective than plain water for this.
Diet Water: Hype vs. Reality
Diet water is marketed as a calorie-free or metabolism-boosting beverage that supports weight loss in ways that regular water supposedly cannot. It refers to bottled water with added ingredients, such as minerals, flavor enhancers, or appetite-suppressing compounds. Some brands claim their products can increase metabolism, burn calories, or curb hunger. Most of these claims lack substantial scientific backing.
When it comes to weight loss benefits, diet water is no more effective than regular water. Claims that diet water can burn calories or suppress appetite have not been supported by strong clinical evidence.
Potential Downsides of Diet Water
- Some versions contain artificial sweeteners, which may alter taste preferences, contribute to sugar cravings, or disrupt gut bacteria.
- Others rely on additives that offer no clear health benefit but add unnecessary expense.
- The greatest risk lies in misleading marketing-patients may believe they’re taking meaningful steps toward weight loss while ignoring more effective strategies.
Better Alternatives to Diet Water
- Infusing water with lemon, cucumber, or fresh mint adds flavor without calories.
- Herbal teas and flavored sparkling waters provide variety while keeping calorie counts at zero.
- Electrolyte-enhanced water may be beneficial for athletes or during hot summers.
- Taking a good daily multivitamin with minerals as you start drinking your regular water.
The Role of Water in Weight Loss
Drinking adequate water may help people lose weight. Researchers are still unsure why drinking more water helps a person to lose weight, but many studies show some positive correlation between increased water consumption and weight loss.
Ways Water May Help with Weight Loss
- Increases Satiety and Reduces Hunger: Water can take up space in the stomach, leading to a feeling of fullness and reducing hunger. Drinking a glass of water before reaching for something to eat can help curb unnecessary snacking.
- Boosts Calorie Burning: Some research indicates that drinking water can help to burn calories. Drinking cold water may further enhance water’s calorie-burning benefits because the body expends energy, or calories, by heating up the water for digestion.
- Helps Remove Waste from the Body: When the body is dehydrated, it cannot correctly remove waste as urine or feces. Water helps the kidneys to filter toxins and waste while retaining essential nutrients and electrolytes.
- Facilitates Fat Burning: Without water, the body cannot properly metabolize stored fat or carbohydrates. Drinking enough water is essential for burning off fat from food and drink, as well as stored fat.
- Improves Exercise Performance: Water helps muscles, connective tissues, and joints to move correctly. Being hydrated reduces the risk of things that can get in the way of a good workout, such as muscle cramps and fatigue.
Recommended Water Intake for Weight Loss
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests estimates for the total water required daily. Most people get around 20% of their required fluid intake from food. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends 9 cups of water daily for females and 13 for males. This is in addition to the water people get from their food.
Tips to Increase Water Intake
- Drink at least one 8-ounce glass of water with each meal.
- Carry water in a reusable water bottle.
- Drink extra water when exercising or during physical activity.
- Drink extra water when it is warm, humid, or very sunny.
- Keep a glass of water near the bed.
- Eat more soups and liquid-rich meals, such as curries, stews, and smoothies.
- Eat fruits and vegetables with high water contents, especially berries, grapes, melons, tomatoes, celery, cucumbers, and lettuce.
Reusable Water Bottles: Benefits for Health and the Environment
By investing in a reusable water bottle, you could not only improve your own health, you could help to improve the health of the environment too. Every 60 seconds, an incredible 1 million single-use plastic bottles are bought around the world. Single-use plastic bottles contain a chemical called BPA - bisphenol A, which could be harmful to your health. Additionally, if you're someone who regularly forgets to drink enough water or struggles to stay hydrated, having a water bottle with you at all times could make a huge difference.
Hydrogen Water: An Emerging Trend
Hydrogen water is regular water that's been enhanced with molecular hydrogen gas, known as H2. Hydrogen is a tasteless, colorless, odorless gas that can combine with other elements, such as oxygen. The theory is that adding the extra H2 to water will improve your health. The research thus far on hydrogen water's health benefits is limited.
Potential Health Benefits of Hydrogen Water
- Reduce side effects of radiation therapy: Drinking hydrogen-rich water for 6 weeks during radiation therapy could improve quality of life during treatment.
- Improve athletic performance: Hydrogen water is said to increase energy, reduce inflammation, and reduce recovery times after workouts.
- Prevent disease: Hydrogen water may contain antioxidants that help prevent oxidative stress.
- Treat COVID-19: Hydrogen water showed potential in the treatment of COVID-19.
- Fight metabolic syndrome: Consuming hydrogen water could reduce A1c, a measure of your blood sugar level over 2 or 3 months.
- Help people on dialysis: Hydrogen water may help people who are getting dialysis for kidney disease.
- Treat cancer: Hydrogen water showed anti-cancer properties in one study involving colorectal cancer.
- Aid mental health: A study of cancer patients found that those treated with hydrogen water had less anxiety and improved mood.
- Improve liver function: Treatment with hydrogen water improved liver function and reduced the amount of fat stored in the liver.
Risks of Hydrogen Water
Experts don’t believe there are any risks to drinking hydrogen water. But they’re not sure if its benefits are greater than those of normal water, or of staying hydrated in general.