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Women typically need to drink about 1.6 litres of fluid every day and men need about 2 litres. This is in addition to the fluid we get from our food. You might need more if you have a temperature or have lost fluid through vomiting or diarrhoea, or if you are very active.
a Adequate Intakes represent an amount that should meet the needs of almost everyone in a specific life-stage group who is healthy, consumes an average diet, and performs moderate levels of physical activity [6,7]; b, values refer to total water intake (TWI = plain water + beverages + food moisture).
Adolescents of 14 years and older are considered as adults with respect to adequate water intake. Available data for adults permit the definition of AIs as 2.0 L/day (P 95 3.1 L) for females and 2.5 L/day (P95 4.0 L) for males. The same AIs as for adults are defined for the elderly.
For lactating women adequate water intakes of about 700 mL/day above the AIs of non-lactating women of the same age are derived. This Opinion of the EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition, and Allergies (NDA) deals with the setting of dietary reference values for water for specific age groups.
To maintain a healthy fluid balance, most adults need around 2000-2500mls of fluid per day (higher for men than women). This means 8-10 (250mls) cups each day. You might use this amount as a guide while learning to listen and respond to your body’s cues, keeping in mind that a range of factors influence our thirst.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) established an Adequate Intake (AI) for water, which is a guideline to help most healthy individuals avoid dehydration . Table 1 outlines the AI for total water and total fluid intake for various age groups.
In order to maintain homeostasis, the adult human body needs a fluid intake of 2-3 litres (25- 30ml / kg per day), allowing it to keep a balance of the nutrients, oxygen and water, which are necessary to preserve a stable healthy internal environment.
