By Mary Kundert

The Corner Pharmacist

Q: Drinking eight glasses of water each day seems like a lot. I only drink half that amount. Do other beverages count toward the total? What are the health benefits of drinking so much water?

James

Los Altos

A: The health benefits of drinking water are related to the following facts. Our body composition is 60 percent to 70 percent water. Water is present in each of our cells.

It makes up 90 percent of our blood, helps with the elimination of waste, transports nutrients, lubricates our joints, helps regulate body temperature, and is crucial for digestion, metabolism and respiration. A deficiency in any of these areas results in disease.

Yet, most experts would agree that drinking eight glasses of water a day is too much for the average non-exercising person, and that one liter - four to six glasses - is adequate.

Although other drinks can count toward our daily fluid totals, plain water is best.

Let’s look at the health concerns from drinking beverages containing sugar and carbonation.

Beverages have become our main source of sugar.

When a person drinks a 24-ounce blended iced espresso coffee drink, he or she consumes almost a quarter of a cup of sugar.

Ironically, many people feel OK about starting their day with such drinks, because they order them with nonfat milk.

Sodas, sports drinks and health drinks are no better, as many also contain very large amounts of sugar.

Diets high in sugar cause a deficiency of calcium, fiber, folate, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, magnesium, iron and other nutrients. Deficiencies such as these lead to all types of health problems, including osteoporosis, heart disease and cancer. Since the 1980s our consumption of sugar has steadily increased, largely due to the proliferation of soft drinks.

It’s no wonder that rates of obesity and diabetes have also been on the rise.

Carbonation may also be a problem. Carbonation first appeared in the 1700s as a way to purify water.

An English scientist, Joseph Schwepps, was among the first to market soda water for its medicinal value.

There are now a growing number of scientists who warn against the ingestion of too much carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a major waste product of our body, expelled with every breath. Does it make any sense to add it back in?

Though carbonated beverages work well to settle an upset stomach, the carbon dioxide acts to neutralize stomach acids, preventing the breakdown and absorption of essential nutrients.

If you must drink soda, avoid doing so with meals.

Kundert, who has a doctorate of pharmacy, is available by appointment only for 10-minute consultations sponsored by Los Altos Pharmacy. For an appointment, call 968-8292