Water bad for kidneys..??

Gonzor

I only drink water so no soft drinks, no alcohol, no tea, no fruit drinks.... just water.

A friend recently told me that he was watching a documentary that said if you only drink water it can cause problems, notably with the kidneys.

I did some googling and all I could find was too much water in one session is bad for your kidneys, but my mate is adamant that the documentary was very specific in saying its a long term problem.

I dunno. Can anybody here shed some light on this? Is being a water-only drinker a bad thing..?

Leeg17

I doubt it

The only ways I know of (and I may be complately wrong) that water can be harmful for you is 1) if you drink liters and liters of it or if 2) you drink loads of distilled water, that is water without the ions/electrolytes in it and it leeches them from your body.

kollegeknight

It depends on how much you drink i presume. didnt one of the irish squad flood his kidneys during the 1994 world cup?

http://www.wisegeek.com/can-drinking-too-much-water-be-unhealthy-or-even-dangerous.htm

Gonzor

Leeg17 wrote: »

I doubt it

The only ways I know of (and I may be complately wrong) that water can be harmful for you is 1) if you drink liters and liters of it or if 2) you drink loads of distilled water, that is water without the ions/electrolytes in it and it leeches them from your body.

Thats interesting Leeg17 about the electrolytes and distilled water, I never heard about that before.

I meant to say in my original post, that (needless to say) he cant remember what the documentary was called or who was in it, and that the reason they said water is bad is because, as we all know water flushes out toxins, but water cant distinguish between toxins and say vitamins/minerals etc... it just flushes everything out of your system.

I think the slant the documentary was giving is that water is good for detoxing your body, but after that you should avoid it....

yuppies

But surely water was the only think our distant ancestors drank? .. Apart from ale/beer/wine for about the last 10,000 years

Gonzor

yuppies wrote: »

But surely water was the only think our distant ancestors drank? .. Apart from ale/beer/wine for about the last 10,000 years

I dunno, I could be wrong on this, but I think half the reason they drank alcohol was because the water wasnt always safe to drink.

yuppies

Gonzor wrote: »

I dunno, I could be wrong on this, but I think half the reason they drank alcohol was because the water wasnt always safe to drink.

That is true; I think Europeans in medieval times mostly drank weak ale. But 50,000 years ago humans were behaviourally modern and I think they only drank water.

saa

I can't see what more than 1lt-2ltrs of water will do for my body?
I am buying bottled water and don't drink a lot because of that, I'm worried about drinking my tap water in Tallaght, it tastes unusually strong and Its left green residue which is too much copper in the water right?
I'm considering ordering a testing kit online, how is everyone else with drinking tap water?
I know it doesn't seem relevant but it is the one reason I don't drink much water!

El_Dangeroso

yuppies wrote: »

But surely water was the only think our distant ancestors drank? .. Apart from ale/beer/wine for about the last 10,000 years

Fun and off-topic fact, many primitive tribes that would have access to the same technology as our pre-historic ancestors make alcohol by chewing plants and spitting them into a bucket before allowing to ferment, top up with water and voila, a refreshing alcoholic beverage!

Even elephants seek out fermented fruit and then party-down!

On topic, 2-3ltrs is perfectly fine when spread over the course of a day.

Hanley

Has there been any legit studies looking at what quantity water may become a problem?

With no dis-respect intended, this thread is a classic example of why you need to be highly skeptical of anyone telling you anything health/diet/nutrition related.

Mellor

Leeg17 wrote: »

you drink loads of distilled water, that is water without the ions/electrolytes in it and it leeches them from your body.

Undistilled water doesn't have much in the way of electrolytes in it either. Its not that it leaches them its that it doesn't replace them.
But this only an issue for the lieks of athletes. Which is why they drink special solution.

As for how much is dangerous, you are talking 7 or 8 litres in a short time.

Westernman

Clean water is the purest from of hydration and the only way I can see it being bad if you consume very large quantities.I think 3 litres of water a day is normal if your drink 10litres it might be too much.

I only drink fresh juice made from vegatables and fruit, herb teas and water.

longhalloween

I doubt drinking water in general is bad for kidneys, sure what else are we meant to drink?

Probably just refers to hyper hydration and not a normal intake of water.

Padjo1981

Was this documentry done by coca cola or some other company?

Mellor

longhalloween wrote: »

I doubt drinking water in general is bad for kidneys, sure what else are we meant to drink?

Probably just refers to hyper hydration and not a normal intake of water.

Nobody is saying water in general is bad, apart from that guys friend, who was misquoting.
High volumes of water put a stress on your body.

Remember Leah Betts, the girl in te 90s who died after taking a single estacy tablet. Well she actually died from drinking too much water as she was told she needed to stay hydrated. She drank something ridiculous.
Of course the media, went with the extacy story as it served a purpose.

Padjo1981 wrote: »

Was this documentry done by coca cola or some other company?

The main ingredient is coke is water. So the exact same would apply to soft drinks.

omen80

OP, water is not just good for your kidneys, it's fcuking great! It flushes toxins out of your body, keeps your colon clear and gives you more energy. The only way it could be bad for you is if it was contaminated or you drink gallons of the stuff in one sitting.
It's all our ancestors drank and our bodies haven't evolved much since then.

bleg

Leeg17 wrote: »

I doubt it

The only ways I know of (and I may be complately wrong) that water can be harmful for you is 1) if you drink liters and liters of it or if 2) you drink loads of distilled water, that is water without the ions/electrolytes in it and it leeches them from your body.

You've huge stores of electrolytes in every cell in your body. Distilled water is fine. Drinking too much water is more of a risk to your brain due to cerebral oedema which is very uncommon and would require a large intake over a short time period.

lmmoonbeam1976

omen80 wrote: »

OP, water is not just good for your kidneys, it's fcuking great! It flushes toxins out of your body, keeps your colon clear and gives you more energy. The only way it could be bad for you is if it was contaminated or you drink gallons of the stuff in one sitting.
It's all our ancestors drank and our bodies haven't evolved much since then.

i drink between 4-5 litres of water over a 12-14 hours period so that works out at 5000 / 12 = 420 mls an hour
a glass of water is 250 mls so its not that much really and it cleans out your system and flushs out kidneys

Sunnyisland

Is drinking 2 litres of sparkling water a day ok ?

lmmoonbeam1976

realies wrote: »

Is drinking 2 litres of sparkling water a day ok ?

plain tap water is better

mloc

This is all getting a bit ridiculous.

Water is not bad for your kidneys, unless you drink several liters in one sitting, in which case you risk overhydration and possibly hyponatraemia (not enough sodium). It's unlikely, unless you down a few pints of water in a matter of minutes, that this is going to be an issue.

Tap v. distilled v. sparkling water - it doesn't matter very much at all. There is probably a slightly increased risk of hyponatraemia from distilled water, but again, you'd need to be drinking a serious amount in a short timeframe.

You can safely drink several liters of water over the course of a day, in fact, I'd recommend it (2 or 3 liters, certainly). In general, your body (particularly your kidneys) does a great job of regulating electrolyte balances all by itself. Go team kidneys!

teednab-el

mloc wrote: »

This is all getting a bit ridiculous.

Water is not bad for your kidneys, unless you drink several liters in one sitting, in which case you risk overhydration and possibly hyponatraemia (not enough sodium). It's unlikely, unless you down a few pints of water in a matter of minutes, that this is going to be an issue.

Tap v. distilled v. sparkling water - it doesn't matter very much at all. There is probably a slightly increased risk of hyponatraemia from distilled water, but again, you'd need to be drinking a serious amount in a short timeframe.

You can safely drink several liters of water over the course of a day, in fact, I'd recommend it (2 or 3 liters, certainly). In general, your body (particularly your kidneys) does a great job of regulating electrolyte balances all by itself. Go team kidneys!

I drink 2litres in a gym session but my training is intense and I sweat mad. Does that matter?

Mellor

No.
2 litres over 1hourish is fine imo