It is a highly touted tip among dieters that drinking eight cups of water a day will speed metabolism and burn calories faster.
Experts agree that drinking enough water is essential to promote healthy body functioning - but unfortunately for those trying to shed a few extra pounds, it will not magically melt away excess weight.
Drinking large amounts of water does not serve any metabolic function and does not change the way the body digests food, said Biology Prof. Reginald H. Garrett, a nutrition expert.
"The only way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories," Garrett said. "Unfortunately we have no way to violate the fundamental laws of thermodynamics," which very clearly spell out that weight gain and loss are determined by the number of calories, or energy units, a person consumes.
Drinking the recommended eight to 10 cups of water a day may aid dieters indirectly by making them feel full and causing them to eat less. A cup is 8 fluid ounces.
"It may make your stomach feel bloated, and who's going to want to eat then?" Garrett said.
Dining Services Nutritionist Paula Caravati agreed that while drinking water does not induce any physiological effects that cause weight loss, "I think what it may do is make you feel fuller" and therefore eat less.
In addition to using water as a non-caloric way to fill one's stomach, there are other effects of dehydration that prompt the consumption of copious amounts of fluids.
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Water, which makes up 70 percent of the human body, helps regulate body temperature, transport nutrients and carry waste products away from the body.
The first sign of dehydration is a decrease in energy levels, Garrett said.
Later stages of dehydration may cause an inability to concentrate or focus on tasks. The American Dietetic Association cautions that dehydration even can cause muscle spasms and a swollen tongue.
In the most extreme cases it is possible to literally die of thirst, he said.
Garrett and Caravati both said a common problem is that people only drink water or other beverages when they feel thirsty, rather than continuously throughout the day.
By the time the feeling of thirst hits, 3 percent of the body's total water volume needs to be replenished.
Any beverage can be used to count for the eight glasses a day - not just water, Caravati said.
Sodas and other sugary drinks, however, may add calories with no nutritional value to the diet. Sodas containing caffeine may pose an additional danger.
"Caffeine can be dehydrating," she said. "It's not something you want to have massive doses of."
Caravati added, however, that she believes caffeine has been unfairly maligned and does not pose the great danger some experts fear.
There is "not a lot of absolute scientific evidence" linking caffeine to cancer or heart disease, she said.
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