Five Glasses of Water a Day Reduces Risk of
Heart Disease, Colorectal Cancer
A new study* reveals that drinking high amounts of plain water is as
important as exercise, diet, or not smoking in preventing coronary
heart disease. California Seventh-day Adventists who drink five or
more glasses of plain water a day were found to have a much lower
risk of fatal coronary heart disease compared to those who drink less
than two glasses per day. By drinking more plain water, healthy
people - without any history of heart disease, stroke, or diabetes -
reduced their risk of dying from a heart attack by half or more. This is
as much or more than if they had adopted any other well-known
preventive measure, including stopping smoking and lowering
cholesterol levels, increasing exercise or maintaining ideal weight.
Drinking enough plain water could turn out to be "the cheapest and
simplest method of preventing coronary heart disease that could be
imagined," says Gary Fraser, cardiologist and one of the researchers
who carried out the study.
Bacteria in Bottled Water Can Cause Eye Infections
Using bottled water to rinse contact lenses can cause eye infections, according to
US researchers. A test of 23 brands of non-carbonated bottled water revealed that 48%
contained some type of microorganism, while 30% contained high levels of coliform
bacteria. Five out of six contact lenses exposed to contaminated water for just one minute
were contaminated with bacteria 24 hours later. The study stresses the importance of using
sterile solutions for rinsing and storing contact lenses.
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*Chan, J. ... [et al.] (2002). Water, other fluids, and fatal coronary
heart disease : the Adventist Health Study. American journal of
epidemiology ; vol. 155, no. 9 ; p. 827-833. URL:
http://aje.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/155/9/827
Related News: Drinking Water Reduces Risk of Colorectal Cancer,
Source, 23 Aug 1999,
http://www.wsscc.org/source/weekly/99323.html#drinking_water ;
Water: the Miracle Drink?, Source, 14 Jun 1999,
http://www.wsscc.org/source/weekly/99223.html#water
Contact: Jacqueline Chan, Adventist Health Studies, School of
Public Health, Loma Linda Univ., USA, jchan@sph.llu.edu,
http://www.llu.edu/llu/health/index.html
[Loma Linda Univ., 25 Apr 2002]
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