Tap water may be better than the bottled variety
It's important to drink about two litres of water every day, but what's the best source - filtered from the tap or bottled? Nadine Bateman asks the experts
Humans can survive for quite a long time without food but it doesn't take long to suffer from dehydration. We lose water through sweat, urine, faeces and even just breathing. In severe heat a human can lose up to 1.5 litres of water an hour.
Our bodies are mostly comprised of water - it's in every cell, tissue and organ, it keeps our body temperature normal, lubricates and cushions our joints, protects our spinal cord and other sensitive tissues, and eliminates waste through urination, perspiration and bowel movements.
Dr Sue Jamieson, a GP in Central, says: "Depending on your age, 60 per cent to 80 per cent of your body is water. Your brain is about 10 per cent more water than your body," she says.
"On a basic level, water is the 'soup' in which everything survives, and it also conducts really well. We've got to transmit [our body's] signals through bio-electric means, and water's a good medium for that. So I believe it is important to drink good quality water."
The definition of good quality drinking water is highly debatable, and there are myriad options. Filtered or bottled? There are so many varieties of both. On a recent trip to the supermarket, I counted nine brands of bottled water.
Then there were the various types: spring, mineral, mineralised, distilled, for example. When it comes to filters, you can buy equipment that ranges from a simple tap fitting to elaborate and expensive units that take up a lot of kitchen space.