Food (or drink) for thought

[red_death]

Having sufficient fluid intake is important; otherwise you end up concentrating the waste products in the urine and that is not a good thing  .  Far better and safer to your health (especially kidney function) if you're flushing them regularly with decent liquids.

But Mike that is specifically what the genuine research is saying is not necessary and may actually be harmful (due to the risk of lowering sodium levels).

What Dorsetmike is saying is right - drink (and pee) when you need to ie when you are thirsty.  I tend to do at least one or two mountain marathons per year (2 day fell running events where you carry your own stuff etc) and certainly my experience (and that of athletes much better than me!) is that body is remarkably good at regulating what it needs and that you notice pretty quickly when you get things wrong with fluid or food.

Cheers, Mike

[H]

Well, there's not that much alcohol in a pint of beer

H, the "low" level doesn't make that much of a difference; alcohol dehydrates the body, which is why the best prevention of a hangover is to have a glass or two of water before you go to bed ...

I was pulling your leg (hence the smillie  )

But drinking too much water can lead to water intoxication, upset the electrolyte balance
in cells, lower sodium levels and cause your tissue to swell. And, as the body can process fairly large amounts of water every day, it's not so much the quantity but the rate at which you drink it.

H.

[Bealman]

I've always been of the opinion that if you can remember to drink a few glasses of water after a big night, you're sober enough not to need them!   

Sorry. Serious discussion here. I'll butt out.