Don’t drink water randomly in your daily life, these 6 ways of drinking water are wrong!

Although we need to drink water every day, we can't drink it casually. Drinking it incorrectly can be harmful to health. Check out these 6 incorrect ways to drink water and see if there are any you often make.

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01 Drinking too much water every day

It is said that drinking water is good for the body, so drink more water. But wait! Drinking a lot of water is not recommended. When the amount of water intake exceeds the kidney's ability to excrete, it may lead to water intoxication. [1] However, this situation is more common in people with kidney disease, liver disease, congestive heart failure, etc.

Moreover, drinking too much water every day will affect your eating and increase the risk of malnutrition.

For the general population, men and women should drink 1700 ml and 1500 ml of water respectively every day. And it should be consumed in small amounts and multiple times, 200-300 ml each time, not in large amounts.

02 Drink water only when you are thirsty

Many people wait until they are thirsty before drinking water. In fact, when you are "thirsty", your body is often already 2% dehydrated. Especially the elderly have a decreased tolerance to dehydration, and are not as sensitive to the feeling of "thirst" as they were when they were young. In many cases, the body has begun to lack water, but there is no feeling of thirst.

Therefore, you must develop the habit of actively drinking water. If you find that your urine has become significantly yellower without taking B vitamins, it means that your body may be dehydrated and you need to drink water as soon as possible.

▲Figure: Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents

03 Drink strong tea instead of water

Drinking tea regularly is good for your health, but you cannot replace water with strong tea. Strong tea has a high oxalic acid content, which increases the risk of osteoporosis, kidney stones and anemia.

However, you can drink light tea. The water temperature for brewing tea should be controlled between 60℃ and 80℃, so that you can absorb more tea polyphenols. [4]

04 Drink beverages instead of water

Sweet drinks taste better, and you can drink a bottle at a time. Does that also replenish water? In fact, sugary sweet drinks have a higher osmotic pressure than water and are not conducive to replenishing water. On the contrary, the more you drink, the more thirsty you become.

In addition, drinking sugary drinks will also consume more added sugar and calories, which is not conducive to blood sugar control and will also increase the risk of obesity, gout, tooth decay, etc.

05 Love to drink hot water

It's okay to drink more hot water, but don't drink water that is too hot. If you develop a habit of drinking hot water, it may increase your risk of cancer.

After all, hot drinks over 65℃ have been listed as Class 2A carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which means they may cause cancer in humans. Our esophageal mucosa is very delicate, and is best suited to temperatures between 10 and 40℃, and can barely tolerate temperatures between 50 and 60℃, while temperatures above 65℃ will cause burns. Drinking overheated water frequently and being burned repeatedly will increase the risk of esophageal cancer.

Therefore, before drinking water, it is best to test the temperature with the back of your hand or your lips, and refuse to put hot water or hot food into your mouth.

06 Drink raw water directly

Stream water and well water taste sweet and refreshing, but for safety reasons it is best not to drink raw water directly.

Raw water may contain eggs of certain parasites and bacteria, especially river water, stream water, etc. No matter how clear it is, you must never drink it directly! Even tap water must be boiled before drinking.

No matter how busy you are, remember to drink water, and avoid the wrong way to drink water! Drink water well~

References:

[1] Chinese Nutrition Society. Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents[M]. People's Medical Publishing House. 2022

[2] Gou Jing, Yue Jianbiao, Yi Song, Zhang Wenju. Investigation on the influencing factors and related knowledge of osteoporosis among the elderly aged 60 years and above in Chengdu[J]. Practical Preventive Medicine, 2022, 29(07): 782-786.

[3] Chen Guanlin, Deng Xiaoting, Gao Yongqing. Study on the correlation between drinking water quality and amount and kidney stones[J]. Chongqing Medicine, 2013, 42(04): 426-428.

[4] Mi Zhi, Liu Lizhen, Wu Xiaohong, Cheng Meng. Effect of brewing conditions on the yield of tea polyphenols in sunshine green tea[J]. Food Research and Development, 2021, 42(03): 63-67.

The article is produced by Science Popularization China-Starry Sky Project (Creation and Cultivation). Please indicate the source when reprinting.

Author: Xue Qingxin, member of Chinese Nutrition Society, registered nutrition technician, health manager, public nutritionist

Reviewer: Gao Chao, Associate Researcher, Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention