Interesting discussion. Men's health had an article. According to the article the 8 glasses a day is an arbitrary number and has no scientfic justification. Water intake should be based on the individual and the daily activities they do. A construction worker for example would need more water than someone who was behind a desk all day. Substituting water for that daily soft drink can help with weight loss over time.

I urge people however not to use plastic bottled water. Manufactoring the containers consumes an enormous amount of petrolium which contributes to the high price of gas. They are not biodegradable and therefore bad for the environment. In most cases what is in the them is ordinary filtered tap water. That's right, your paying a lot of money for the same basic water that comes from your faucet at home. A good water filter is a much better investment. The ads you hear from companies like Deer Park are pure marketing BS.