People in Spain not drinking enough water, study finds

Let’s put it this way: the more water you drink, the more beer and wine your body will be able to process. Convinced now?

As the mercury rises in Spain during summer, the temptation to chuck oneself into the nearest swimming pool or stretch of sea is strong. So too is the desire to find a shady spot and crack open a chilled bottle of wine, or have the waiter scuttle over with a fruity jarra of sangría…

These are the simple pleasures of living in Spain that are tightly embraced by Spaniards and expats alike. However, with heat comes dehydration, and a new study by Spain’s Royal National Academy of Medicine has found that men and women who live in Spain are not drinking enough water – and this could be storing up health problems for the future.

The study found that not even one in five Spanish residents drinks the daily recommended amount of 2.5 litres of water per day for men, and two litres per day for women.

Smart Alecs may quickly proclaim that they polish that amount off – and more – in the form of beer over the course of a few hours, but beers, wines, spirits, coffees and teas are all diuretics, ie, they increase the production of urine in the body, meaning that you actually end up less – not more – hydrated, the more you drink.

Waters and juices, on the other hand, actually do the job of keeping you hydrated, but the study found that men are drinking an average of just 1.7 litres of water a day, with women consuming 1.6 litres.

For both sexes, an intake merely 20% below the recommended daily amount can cause tiredness and dehydration, which can impair work performance and even increase the risk of causing a road accident.

Indeed, having a thirst is actually a sign that the body is already dehydrated, and should not be seen as a green light to open the wine or order the beer.

But it does not have to be this way. The tap water in Spain is safe to drink and actually tastes pretty good (water in Majorca jokes aside), while bottled water is cheap and available pretty much everywhere one turns in the country. And if you think that there is no way that you can get two litres down you in a day, consider this: that’s just four 500ml bottles, or just over three pints of water – easily ingestible throughout the day.

Another approach is to keep a close eye on the colour of your urine. If it is yellow (ie, darker than the colour of straw), then you are dehydrated and should drink a glass of water asap.

This is especially important in the hot Spanish summertime, when dehydration can cause heat and sunstroke, particularly once the temperatures reach the mid-30s, as they do, like clockwork, every summer.