Malaysian youth not drinking enough water, say experts

Star: PETALING JAYA: Malaysian youngsters are not drinking enough water, and that does not bode well for their health.
A recent study by the Health Ministry showed that less than 35% of Form One, Two and Four students from 50 schools in the country drink the recommended six to eight glasses (1.5L to 2L) of plain water a day.
The recommendation was listed as one of the 14 key messages in the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines, which encouraged people to “drink plenty of water daily”.
Consultant dermatologist Datuk Dr Low Bin Tick said that although young people today were more conscious about water intake, they were still not drinking enough.
“We see them bringing their water bottles but we do not know whether they actually finish it,” said Dr Low, adding that adequate water intake contributed to skin health by making it easier for the skin to remove waste products through sweating.
National Heart Institute (IJN) chief dietitian Mary Easaw-John said it was easy to meet the recommended requirement of six to eight glasses of water a day.
“Just take a glass of plain water when you wake up, when you have your three meals and during tea time, and one more before you go to sleep. That's six glasses already,” she said.
The remaining two cups of water can be fruit and vegetable juices, milk and plain tea.
“Caffeinated drinks like coffee and soft drinks are fine but it is best to limit them as they may make you pass more urine,” said Easaw-John.
She noted that the easiest way to find out if you are drinking enough water is to pay attention to the colour of your urine.
“If it is colourless and light yellow, you are generally drinking sufficiently. But if it is yellow or dark yellow, you are not drinking enough,” she added.
While the recommendations are meant for the general population, there are special groups that require different amounts of water.
Those with kidney stones, for instance, should be careful with the amount of water they take as it may worsen their condition.
“I often see patients who overdo it, thinking that the extra water will flush out their stones,” said consultant urologist Prof Datuk Dr Tan Hui Meng.
He noted that while adequate water intake was needed to expel the stones, too much water would stretch the patients' urinary tracts and prevent its muscles from moving the stones along.
According to the guidelines, young children may need less water while lactating mothers may need more.