Dr. Celsus Undie, a Consultant Urologist, Kelina Hospital, Abuja has recommended consumption of three litres of water daily to prevent the likelihood of developing kidney problems.
Undie told the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja that consuming this quantity of water daily would not only prevent kidney problems, but was also the secret to healthy living.
He said the high contents of calories in food consumed these days have led to health problems.
He said: “Most people today consume food that are high in cholesterol, leading to health problems like high blood pressure, inability to control blood sugar and so on.
“This is because we eat food that is high in calories, but when you take water it fills you up and you are likely not to consume as much food as you will like.”
Undie explained that consuming water first thing in the morning or one hour after meal does not have any special health benefit.
He said: “Whether you drink water first thing in the morning or one hour after meal and you do not drink water at other times in the day, you will still develop problems.
“The total amount of water an individual drinks in 24 hours is what is important, not when he or she drinks the water.
“If you drink a lot of water in the morning before breakfast and you do not drink a lot of water in the day, you are still going to have problems.
“What is important is how much water you drink in 24 hours.
“Every healthy person should take a minimum of three litres of water daily.
“The quantity of water you take is not only in the cup of water you drink.
“We also have water in beverages and other sources.
“An average person who takes three litres of water daily will pass 1.5 litres of urine daily.
“If you do not take enough water, you will develop kidney problems.
“The kidney has little work to do when you have enough water in your system.
“The kidney is only called to action when you are dehydrated.”
According to the urologist, the body interprets water as water, adding that all types of water whether cold, warm or room temperature was healthy.
Undie however noted that the satisfaction derived from consuming water varied as most persons consume more water if it was cold.
He said: “Consuming cold water is okay because when the water gets into the body, it assumes the normal temperature.
“The body warms it up.
“So it does not matter whether the water is cold or warm.
“Whatever temperature is comfortable to you as an individual you can consume.
“Some people will say they will not drink cold water because it is not good for the health, but there is yet to be any scientific backing to such claims.
“Some persons even say people should drink only warm water after surgery but there is also no scientific research done to back such claims.”
NAN.
