Too much water poses risksFri, January 18, 2008
By JOHN MINER, SUN MEDIA
If you're one of those who quaffs eight glasses of water a day -- all in the interest of good health -- you might want to lay off the stuff.
A surprising study by Lawson Health Research Institute scientists in London suggests people are actually damaging their kidneys and blood vessels -- which can lead to heart failure and strokes -- by drinking large volumes of fluids.
"We are urging people to slow down until we know," said William Clark, leader of the Walkerton health study, a kidney specialist at the London Health Sciences Centre and a professor at the Schulich School of Medicine.
Clark said the final evidence should be available in about 18 months when studies are completed, but initial results have raised large red flags.
What is known, contrary to widely accepted health advice, is that drinking eight or more glasses of water has no health benefit, Clark said.
It also has been proven that in individuals who already have kidney damage, drinking large volumes of water increases the problem.
"Flushing your kidney actually accelerates the rate of loss of kidney function," he said.
What scientists found during intensive studies of the Walkerton population in the wake of the deadly E. coli water contamination in 2000 is that healthy individuals drinking large volumes of water had protein in their urine, known as proteinuria.
Proteinuria is an indication the kidney is being damaged.
When researchers asked the Walkerton individuals why they were drinking so much -- some as many as 16 glasses a day -- they were told it was for the health benefits.
"Our society tends to do things in an extreme fashion -- a little is good, then let's take a lot," Clark said.
About four per cent of the Walkerton population were found to be drinking excessive amounts of water.
Clark expects the percentage in urban areas may be higher because it has become fashionable and many believe it can increase energy levels, remove toxins from the body and aid weight loss.
"It is the No. 1 medical myth," he said.
People who damage their kidneys can experience kidney failure earlier in life and end up on dialysis.
Clark said he expects a strong reaction from the study, published this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
"Some of the wealthiest corporations in the world are making more money selling bottled water than they have ever made selling pop. You know what? They are going to encourage this behaviour as much as they possibly can," he said.
Even when presented with the possibility they may be harming themselves, individuals resist reducing their water consumption, he found.
"They felt they were doing the right thing," he said.
In Walkerton, when individuals identified with proteinuria reduced their water consumption to less than eight glasses a day, the protein in their urine dropped to close to normal levels.
How much water should people drink a day?
Clark advises people to drink when they're thirsty.
"You just have to trust in your brain. It is pretty good and has worked well over the millenniums."
http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Local/2008/01/18/pf-4779834.html
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