Mayo Clinic reveal how much water you should REALLY drink


  • Medical research centre suggests men should drink 13 cups a day on average
  • It also reports women should drink about nine cups
  • But as every body is different a formula can work out the exact amount you need

Imogen Blake For Mailonline

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From feeling less tired, to clearing up spots and improving our skin, drinking enough water can cure many ills.

But the majority of people simply don’t drink enough of it.

Medical research centre the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota reveals that men should be drinking 13 cups of it a day on average, while women could consume nine.

But every person’s body is different – and the amount you really need to drink can be worked out using a simple scientific formula, it’s been suggested. 

Symptoms of dehydration can include dry skin, a headache, dizziness and even fainting

How much water should you be drinking?

The formula for how much water you should be drinking:

Step 1: Take your weight (in lbs) and divide it by 2.2.

Step 2: Multiply that number by your age.

Step 3: Divide that sum by 28.3.

Step 4: Your total is how many ounces of water you should drink each day.

Divide that number by eight to see your result in cups.

If you’ve been drinking enough water throughout the day, your urine should be a very pale colour rather than a deep yellow

However if you exercise regularly, you’ll of course need to drink even more water to replace the liquid you’ll lose through sweat.

The American College of Sports Medicine reports that you should drink an extra 12 ounces of water for every 30 minutes of exercise. 

Your diet can play a large role in helping to keep you hydrated.

Eating foods with a high water content, such as watermelon, cucumber and celery, can help flush out toxins in your body.

However, eating salty foods can do the opposite as your body will retain fluids to help dilute the sodium you’ve just consumed – which is why we often bloat after eating sodium-rich foods, and get thirsty.

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