I love how in the midst of the Stanley Quencher Cup mania we’re hearing more and more doctors pipe up with warnings about overhydration. It tickles my little impish heart. I get that our understanding of science is always evolving and improving, and that’s a good thing! But yeah the timing cracks me up. Back in January we covered signs of overhydration, and I was thrilled to learn that I have a new scapegoat to blame my irritability on. That update also noted that your first wee of the day should be on the lighter lemonade-colored side. Now UK-based NHS Dr. Sermed Mezher is adding that “clear pee” should not be the goal, at any time of the day:
One of the most popular health trends over the last few years has been staying as hydrated as possible, evidenced by the massive popularity of 40-oz Stanley Quencher cups. The theory among those who obsess over hydration is that, when you pee clear, you’ve removed all the waste in your body and are enjoying the incredible benefits of being 100% hydrated. Congratulations.
However, according to Dr. Sermed Mezher, an NHS doctor in the UK, peeing clear isn’t always a sign of being healthy.
“If you’re peeing clear, that means you’re having more than 2.5 liters (85 ounces) of fluid per day, which means your kidneys are working overdrive to keep that water off your brain,” Dr. Mezher said. He goes on to add that when kidneys can’t keep up with their water intake, it can cause water intoxication, which can lead to dangerous, even lethal, brain swelling.
According to Dr. Mezher, it’s all about finding balance when it comes to hydration and the goal shouldn’t be to pee clear all the time. “Of course, like most things in life, too much is not great, and too little isn’t either,” he continued. Two liters (68 ounces) [of water] is good for a healthy adult, and babies under six months shouldn’t be given any water at all.”
The news came as a bit of a shock to some folks in the comments. “One minute it’s not enough water, the next it’s too much… I’m tired,” Tiyana wrote. “I always thought the goal was clear,” Mountain Witch added.
So the countdown is on for when Goop declares that clear pee is the only way it should be, no? I’ll say this, I did not have “we’ll be routinely discussing ideal pee color” on my bingo card for 2024. Now I’m disappointed that Pantone didn’t make their Color of the Year something on the wee spectrum! (And before you say, “Ew, Kismet!” May I remind you of the sad-sack, raw chicken breast-reminiscent color they gave us this year: Peach Fuzz.) As much fun as regularly keeping tabs on the tint of my pee sounds, for now I’m just going to focus on the suggestion of 68 ounces of water a day. That’s doable. I have two non-Stanley cups (why go Stanley when you can go Bubba!) that are 24 and 32 ounces respectively, so I could easily gauge my intake… If I made the effort to track. Which I’m totally motivated to do! After all, I still have that lofty goal of trying to drink enough water to balance out my potato chip intake. You gotta have a dream.
