So where exactly did this eight glasses of water a day voodoo come from? The very idea of a "minimal water requirement" is actually a fairly recent notion that first appeared in dietary guidelines published in 1945 by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences. The academy spuriously suggested that "2,500 mL [2.5 liter] of fluid should be ingested on a daily basis," although a primary clinical study was never actually cited.
The idea may have been at least partly put forth by Frederick J. Stare, an influential 21st century nutritionist and founding chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. (He passed away in 2002 at age 91.) Stare was one of the first to recommend that humans consume six or so 12-ounce glasses of water a day.
Just found this….notice the date? 1945
So where exactly did this eight glasses of water a day voodoo come from? The very idea of a "minimal water requirement" is actually a fairly recent notion that first appeared in dietary guidelines published in 1945 by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences. The academy spuriously suggested that "2,500 mL [2.5 liter] of fluid should be ingested on a daily basis," although a primary clinical study was never actually cited.
The idea may have been at least partly put forth by Frederick J. Stare, an influential 21st century nutritionist and founding chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. (He passed away in 2002 at age 91.) Stare was one of the first to recommend that humans consume six or so 12-ounce glasses of water a day.