最近，摒棄每天八杯水的所謂“醫(yī)學(xué)神話”已成為一種時(shí)尚。 　　lately it has been in vogue to dismiss the advice to drink eight glasses of water a day as a 'medical myth'.

　　有關(guān)書(shū)籍和醫(yī)學(xué)期刊文章已經(jīng)宣稱(chēng)，“8 x 8”飲水原則──即每天八杯水，每次八盎司（237毫升）──能夠?yàn)槿梭w健康帶來(lái)諸多益處，從加速減肥，排除體內(nèi)毒素，對(duì)抗便秘、疲勞和皮膚干燥，到加快感冒和流感的康復(fù)等等，此類(lèi)說(shuō)法缺乏科學(xué)根據(jù)。媒體更戲稱(chēng)“8 x 8”飲水原則“并非滴水不漏”，而且也“無(wú)法除污”。
　　books and medical-journal articles have declared there's no scientific evidence for claims that '8 x 8' -- eight ounces, or 237 milliliters, of water eight times a day -- can bring a wide range of benefits, from speeding weight loss to ridding the body of toxins, fighting constipation, fatigue and dry skin and hastening recovery from colds and the flu. headlines have jeered that 8 by 8 'doesn't hold water' and 'water advice doesn't wash.'
　　其實(shí)，這種爭(zhēng)論更多的是有關(guān)看問(wèn)題的角度。

　　it's really more a dispute over whether the glass is half-empty or half-full.
　　許多研究將多飲水與有益健康聯(lián)系在一起，但是批評(píng)人士通常認(rèn)為此類(lèi)研究數(shù)據(jù)不充分，結(jié)論不確定，或者并非廣泛適用。
　　many studies have linked drinking extra water with health benefits, but critics generally dismiss them as statistically insignificant, inconclusive or not widely applicable.
　　比如說(shuō)，1999年發(fā)表在《新英格蘭醫(yī)學(xué)期刊》(new england journal of medicine)上的一項(xiàng)針對(duì)近4.8萬(wàn)名男性的10年期研究顯示，人們每天每飲一杯水，罹患膀胱癌的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)就會(huì)下降7%。其它研究則發(fā)現(xiàn)，飲水越多，出現(xiàn)具有癌癥前期特征的結(jié)腸息肉的機(jī)率就越小。發(fā)表在《美國(guó)流行病學(xué)期刊》(american journal of epidemiology) 上的一項(xiàng)針對(duì)加利福尼亞州兩萬(wàn)名耶穌復(fù)臨論者的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，與每天只飲兩杯水的人相比，每天至少飲用五杯水的女性患致命性心臟病的機(jī)率要低41%，男性要低54%。
　　for instance, a 10-year study of nearly 48,000 men published in the new england journal of medicine in 1999 found that the risk of bladder cancer fell 7% for every cup subjects drank per day. other studies have found that the more water subjects drank, the fewer precancerous colon polyps they had. and a study of 20,000 seventh-day adventists in california in the american journal of epidemiology found that women who drank at least five glasses of water a day had a 41% lower risk of fatal heart disease, and men had a 54% lower risk, compared with those who drank just two glasses a day.
　　廣告達(dá)特茅斯醫(yī)學(xué)院(dartmouth medical school)的生理學(xué)家亨氏·瓦爾丁(heniz valtin)在2002年發(fā)表于《美國(guó)生理學(xué)期刊》(american journal of physiology)上的一篇開(kāi)創(chuàng)性文章里就上述研究進(jìn)行了探討，并且得出結(jié)論稱(chēng)，這些研究并不能支持每人每天飲用八杯水的普遍性建議，只是適用于那些已知有可能患有某些疾病的人。六年后，瓦爾丁博士稱(chēng)，我尚未見(jiàn)到任何科學(xué)報(bào)告與我得出的結(jié)論有悖。
　　physiologist heniz valtin of dartmouth medical school discussed these studies and more in a seminal 2002 article in the american journal of physiology -- and still concluded that they didn't support a universal recommendation that everyone drink 8 by 8, just people 'known to have a propensity for the disease(s) in question.' six years later, dr. valtin says, 'i haven't seen a single scientific report that disagrees with my conclusion.'