"Drink 8 glasses of water daily", is a fitness mantra that everyone, including the health experts swear by, these days. But, a recent article published in the British Medical Journal claims that this fitness advice is baseless and has no strong evidence to support that drinking more water would keep us healthy. This articles is an opinion piece written by Dr. Margaret McCartney, a Glasgow based GP

Dr. McCartney has questioned the recommendation of the government as well as the NHS Choices calling it a "thoroughly debunked nonsense". Her statements are based on two American studies which have looked at the consumption of higher volumes of water, more than about six to eight glasses of water a day, than recommended by the UK government. Her article has some good points such as lack of evidence behind drinking more water but the claims are not based on strong evidences.

Water is believed to keep your body hydrated, and help you prevent kidney damage, lose weight and increase your concentration levels. But, having excess of it can cause you some damage such as kidney damage or loss of sleep. However, none of these claims are based on a large-scale study. Dr. McCartney also points out that the recent advocacies of having more water to maintain health is a promotional gimmick to benefit the companies that make bottled waters.

So, where do you stand now? Should you drink six to eight glasses of water or other fluids a day or cut down more on your water intake? It is true that there is a lack of evidence behind the claims that drinking increased amount of water is beneficial for health. But, six to eight glasses of water or other fluid a day to replace normal water loss is sufficient and doesn't seem to have any side effects on your health. 

It is important to keep yourself hydrated. So, depending upon the climate you can adjust your fluid intake, for example places where the climate is moderate such as UK, six to eight glasses of water is sufficient. However, in hotter climates such as Africa, the body needs more fluids as a lot of it is lost during perspiration. Therefore, drink only when you are thirsty or you think your body needs fluids, do not just drink for the sake of meeting the daily-recommended goals.