Much has been written about the health benefits of drinking water yet there is a lot of confusion surrounding the subject.

Some nutritionists say that you should drink at least two liters of water per day whilst others say that the body gets all the water it needs from drinking beverages and from the water contained in foods.

So what is the truth about water? For that it is best to consult those who have done the most research on the subject.

One such person was Dr F Batmanghelidj, MD. He was born in Iran, studied in UK and did a huge amount of research into the benefits of water whilst being held as a political prisoner in Iran. After his release he went to USA and continued his research and taught about the health benefits of drinking water.

He found that when the body is dehydrated it produces pain and also many degenerative diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and arthritis. When he was a prisoner he had no medication to give his fellow prisoners when they were ill. Only water was available to treat his patients with. He found that by giving his patients water to drink it often relieved their symptoms and brought healing. This discovery started him out on a lifetime of research and promotion of drinking water for health.

He found for example that the body is 70% water. The brain, especially, needs plenty of water and if it is not getting enough it will take it from other parts of the body such as the joints. This causes the joints to dry up and become painful and arthritic. Taking painkillers does not resolve the root problem but instead makes it worse in the long term because, by killing the pain we become more active, which will cause more wear for the joint. The solution is to drink more water.

Other researchers have found that many health problems are caused by an acidic imbalance in the body. This is caused by a build up in the body of acidic waste which gets stored in the body fat and other places if it is not eliminated. This ph imbalance can be cured by drinking more water, which in turn reduces obesity and other ailments.

Which Type of Water is the Best?

But what type of water is the best to drink? There are pros and cons for both tap water and bottled water. Tap water can contain low levels of toxins and some people believe that impurities can leach into the water from plastic bottles, plus they create a disposal problem.

Researchers have found that places such as Lourdes, which have "healing" water, have one thing in common - the water is very alkaline and highly ionised.

They found that this type of water has the following advantages:

• the molecular weight of the water is low so that it is quickly absorbed into the body;

• it blocks the oxidation of healthy tissue so reducing the risk of cancer;

• it neutralises free radicals.

In recent years a lot of research into the health benefits of drinking water has been carried out in Japan and Korea and they have developed very affordable methods to produce Alkaline Ionised Water, including Ionisers. Filters and tablets.

How Much Should We Drink

This all depends on our weight, activity level and environment. Dr Batmanghelidj said that we should drink 35 ml of water for every kg of body weight, so if you weigh 90 kilos (200 lbs) you should drink 3 litres per day.

Finally, Dr Robert Young has done a great deal of research into the health benefits of drinking water and he has said,

"If someone asked me what was the one thing I could do to enjoy better health, then the answer is simple - drink Alkaline Ionised Water".