Is drinking plenty water really as important as we are led to believe?

We're continually told how important it is to drink plenty water, and for once we really should listen.

Water makes up over 50% of the human body and without sufficient levels you simply would not be able to function. Drinking between six and eight glasses of water a day will help your body in dozens if not hundreds of ways. Perhaps the five main health benefits are as follows...

Keeping your memory sharp
If your body becomes even slightly dehydrated it can have an adverse effect on your short term memory as well as concentration levels and general alertness.

Holding off cholesterol
When your body is dehydrated it can produce cholesterol to try to retain it's remaining fluids. The cholesterol essentially wraps around fluid containing cells in the body, the majority of which will be fat cells.

Decreasing the risk of cancer
Research has shown that drinking significant quantities of water (at least five glasses a day), can reduce your chances of developing many forms of cancer including that of the breast.

Maintaining healthy muscles
Water helps protect your muscles from strain and damage. A sustained water deficiency in your body will eventually lead to muscle deterioration,

Keeping the pounds off
Dehydration can cause your body's metabolism to slow down as the body desperately attempts to preserve it's remaining fluids. The problem is much of the fluid will be contained in fat cells so you will be holding on to even more fat than normal.

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