Drinking plenty of water helps with various conditions, from obesity to migraines, researchers find

Public health recommendations typically suggest drinking eight cups of water per day. And many people just assume that it is healthy to drink a lot of water. Now researchers at UC San Francisco have systematically looked at the available evidence. They concluded that drinking enough water can help with weight loss and prevent kidney stones, as well as migraines, urinary tract infections and low blood pressure.

“For such a ubiquitous and simple intervention, the evidence was not clear and the benefits were not well established, so we wanted to take a closer look,” said senior and corresponding author Benjamin Breyer, MD, MAS, of the Taube Family. Distinguished professor and chairman of the UCSF Department of Urology.

“The amount of rigorous research appeared to be limited, but in some specific areas there was a statistically significant benefit,” Breyer said. “To our knowledge, this is the first study to broadly assess the benefits of water consumption on clinical outcomes.”

The study, which analyzed 18 randomized controlled trials, was published on November 25 JAMA network opened.

The researchers found the most evidence in favor of drinking water to prevent kidney stones and help people lose weight.

Drinking eight cups of water a day significantly reduced the chance of developing a new kidney stone.

Several studies have shown that drinking about six cups of water per day helps adults lose weight. But a study in adolescents found that drinking just over eight cups of water a day had no effect.

Still, the authors said that encouraging people to drink water before meals would be a simple and inexpensive intervention that could have enormous benefits, given the increased prevalence of obesity.

Other studies have shown that water can help prevent migraines, control diabetes and low blood pressure, and prevent urinary tract infections.

Adults with recurring headaches felt better after drinking more water for three months.

Drinking about four cups of water a day helped diabetes patients whose blood sugar levels were elevated.

Drinking six extra cups of water a day also helped women with recurring urinary tract infections. It reduced the number of infections and lengthened the time between them.

And drinking more water helped young adults with low blood pressure.

“We know that dehydration is harmful, especially in someone with a history of kidney stones or urinary tract infections,” said Breyer, a member of the UCSF Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

“On the other hand, someone who sometimes suffers from frequent urination may benefit from drinking less. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to water consumption.”