Borja Quiroga, nephrologist, on daily water consumption: “What is the basis for the idea that we have to drink two liters a day?”

Health is considered one of our greatest treasures, and protecting it makes kidney care a fundamental priority. The kidneys perform multiple vital functions in the body, so any advice, tips, or tools that help keep them healthier for longer are always welcome.

Borja Quiroga, a nephrologist, appeared on a Cadena SER podcast to talk about various aspects of kidney health. One of the most notable moments came when he addressed daily water intake and took the opportunity to challenge the widely repeated mantra that we must drink at least two liters of water per day.

“As with everything in medicine, nephrology is also full of myths, and water is one of them. It cannot be that regulatory agencies, this is stated by the Ministry of Health and also recommended by the WHO, suggest a universal water intake. You have to drink two liters of water. What is that based on?” the specialist asked, before going on to describe the situation of his dialysis patients.

“They do not urinate because their kidneys do not work. So all the water they drink or ingest through food accumulates. There are patients who come from one session to the next weighing two or three kilos more. We are not clouds, so that water has to come from somewhere,” he explained.

After stating that “the water myth is as much a myth as it is a lie,” Borja emphasized the importance of understanding how the kidneys work and how much water we actually need to drink.

“The kidney needs to eliminate a certain amount of toxins every day, and to do that it needs half a liter of water. But we lose water through sweating and breathing, almost a liter a day, around 700 to 800 milliliters. These are called insensible losses because we usually do not notice them,” he continued.

“Around 1.2 liters a day is the minimum”

The nephrologist then shared a common baseline figure. “At home, under normal conditions, you have 700 or 800 grams of insensible losses, plus more than 500 grams of urine. That comes out to around 1.2 liters of water per day. That is the minimum, more or less, for everyone. Then you add whatever extra you lose. If I exercise, if I go outside, if I have gastrointestinal losses, I have to increase the amount of water I drink,” he explained.

To conclude, returning to the original question, the young specialist offered one final piece of advice to viewers and listeners alike. “So how much should I drink? We need to listen to one of the most important primitive signals we have, which is thirst,” he concluded.

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.

Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.