Rockman
Thu, February 12th, 2004, 02:03 PM
Just came across this article this morning about water intake. It mentions that the dehydrating effects from caffiene and beer is mostly a myth. Kind of interesting along with the other stuff.
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/02/11/water_salt040211
Water not a worry but curb salt intake:
EDMONTON - Conventional wisdom says we should drink eight glasses of water a day. A new nutrition report turns the advice on its head, saying our taste for salt is a greater problem.
In what is billed as the definitive report on human hydration, panelists at the Institute of Medicine in Washington and Health Canada concluded common sense and human instinct are all it takes to keep the body's fluid levels topped up.
The independent institute sets nutrition recommendations. The nutrition, pediatrics and geriatrics experts concluded the average North American woman requires about 2.7 litres of fluid a day and men need 3.7 litres.
The fluid doesn't all have to come in form of water. Milk, juice and soup all add up, and even a cold beer or caffeinated coffee count.
The belief that beer or coffee draw fluid from the body is mostly a myth, according to University of Alberta physiology Prof. Susan Jacobs-Kaufman.
Prof. Susan Jacobs-Kaufman
"It has very, very little if any diuretic effect," said Jacobs-Kaufman. "Overall, you're still gaining fluid for it to go back out of the kidney ultimately."
People should let their thirst guide them, the panel concluded. Drink more when physically active or in the heat.
While Canadians don't have to worry about downing glass after glass of water, table salt is a problem. The report says North Americans consume far too much salt, mostly from processed foods. It suggests we should cut salt consumption in half, and then some.
Right now, North Americans consume about 4,000 milligrams of salt a day, about two heaping teaspoons. The old guideline suggested 2,400 milligrams, and the new one cuts it to 1,500 mg a day.
To put the levels in perspective, one bowl of chicken noodle soup contains 900 milligrams of salt – 60 per cent of the recommended daily limit.
Too much salt causes blood pressure to rise. Lower blood pressure lowers the risk of suffering heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease.
The 1,500-mg salt level is for healthy, younger adults. Because blood pressure raises with age, the report says people over 50 should strive for 1,300 mg and the recommended limit for those over 70 is 1,200 mg.
To that end, the panel also recommended Americans should eat much more potassium, which helps lower blood pressure and reduces the risk of kidney stones and bone loss. Bananas, spinach, cantaloupe and other fruits and vegetables contain potassium.
The committee's chair hopes the report will lead Health Canada to adopt new regulations.
"Potentially change its labels, potentially change aspects of the foods that are provided to individuals, potentially in seniors centres or in schools," said Dr. Lawrence Appel, a professor of medicine at John Hopkins University in Baltimore.
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/02/11/water_salt040211
Water not a worry but curb salt intake:
EDMONTON - Conventional wisdom says we should drink eight glasses of water a day. A new nutrition report turns the advice on its head, saying our taste for salt is a greater problem.
In what is billed as the definitive report on human hydration, panelists at the Institute of Medicine in Washington and Health Canada concluded common sense and human instinct are all it takes to keep the body's fluid levels topped up.
The independent institute sets nutrition recommendations. The nutrition, pediatrics and geriatrics experts concluded the average North American woman requires about 2.7 litres of fluid a day and men need 3.7 litres.
The fluid doesn't all have to come in form of water. Milk, juice and soup all add up, and even a cold beer or caffeinated coffee count.
The belief that beer or coffee draw fluid from the body is mostly a myth, according to University of Alberta physiology Prof. Susan Jacobs-Kaufman.
Prof. Susan Jacobs-Kaufman
"It has very, very little if any diuretic effect," said Jacobs-Kaufman. "Overall, you're still gaining fluid for it to go back out of the kidney ultimately."
People should let their thirst guide them, the panel concluded. Drink more when physically active or in the heat.
While Canadians don't have to worry about downing glass after glass of water, table salt is a problem. The report says North Americans consume far too much salt, mostly from processed foods. It suggests we should cut salt consumption in half, and then some.
Right now, North Americans consume about 4,000 milligrams of salt a day, about two heaping teaspoons. The old guideline suggested 2,400 milligrams, and the new one cuts it to 1,500 mg a day.
To put the levels in perspective, one bowl of chicken noodle soup contains 900 milligrams of salt – 60 per cent of the recommended daily limit.
Too much salt causes blood pressure to rise. Lower blood pressure lowers the risk of suffering heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease.
The 1,500-mg salt level is for healthy, younger adults. Because blood pressure raises with age, the report says people over 50 should strive for 1,300 mg and the recommended limit for those over 70 is 1,200 mg.
To that end, the panel also recommended Americans should eat much more potassium, which helps lower blood pressure and reduces the risk of kidney stones and bone loss. Bananas, spinach, cantaloupe and other fruits and vegetables contain potassium.
The committee's chair hopes the report will lead Health Canada to adopt new regulations.
"Potentially change its labels, potentially change aspects of the foods that are provided to individuals, potentially in seniors centres or in schools," said Dr. Lawrence Appel, a professor of medicine at John Hopkins University in Baltimore.