Man drinking bottled water

Six in ten Brits drink just one glass of water a day, according to new research.

Kantar Worldpanel research revealed at the UK Bottled Water Conference in London today suggested 59.4% of Brits drink one glass of water or less a day, and 81.8% no more than two glasses a day.

“We’ve got out of the habit of drinking water,” said Professor Tom Sanders, professor emeritus of nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London. “If people swapped drinks containing sugar and alcohol with water it would have a positive impact on the nation’s health.”

Official NHS guidance recommends adults should drink eight to 10 200ml glasses of fluid a day, with all fluid counting towards this target.

Natural Hydration Council adviser Dr Emma Derbyshire, founder of Nutritional Insight, added she was surprised more people weren’t opting to keep hydrated with water. “Water is extremely beneficial for the human body – it carries nutrients to cells, helps to remove waste products from our major organs and helps to regulate our body’s temperature,” she added. “As well as being important for health, water is also calorie-free.”

The UK Bottled Water Conference  is hosted by Zenith International in collaboration with trade body the Natural Hydration Council.