Worried about drinking enough water? Our Special Report on hydration in the June newsletter should help. And there’s also this update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published just after we went to press: Most Americans are getting roughly enough fluids, though only about a third comes in the healthiest form of plain water. Using data from national health and nutrition surveys (NHANES) from 2009 to 2012, the CDC reported that adult men consume an average of 117 ounces of water daily – the equivalent of more than 14 cups. That’s close to the 125 daily ounces for men set by the Institute of Medicine as “adequate intake” in 2004. Adult women averaged 93 ounces daily – almost 12 cups, slightly more than the recommended 91 ounces.
Only about 30% of men’s fluid intake and 34% of women’s came from water, with the rest coming from sodas, coffee, tea, juices and other beverages or from food. People over age 60 tended to consume less fluid than younger people, which can be a problem: As our Special Report noted, older people often have a reduced sensitivity to thirst, making them more prone to dehydration. If that’s you, maybe you should toast these results with a nice glass of water?