Niba warigeze kugira umunaniro cyangwa se uruhu rwumye, ushobora kuba warabwiwe ko ugomba kunywa amazi menshi nk’umuti. Ariko impuguke zivuga ko guhorana icupa ry’amazi rishobora gukoreshwa kenshi, tukarigendana aho tugiye hose bishobora kuba bituma tunywa amazi arenze ayo umubiri wacu ukeneye.

Mu ntangiriro z’ikinyejana cya 19, abantu bagombaga kuba bageze hafi yo gupfa mbere yo kwemererwa kunywa amazi.

Nk’uko Vincent Priessnitz, washinze hydropathy (izwi kandi nka "water cure" cyangwa kwivurisha amazi), yabivuze, "abantu bageze ku rwego rwa nyuma rw’ubukene ni bo bonyine banywa amazi kugira ngo bashire inyota yabo."

Yongeraho ko abantu benshi batigeze banywa amazi asanzwe ari munsi y’igice cya litiro (half pint) icyarimwe.
Mbega ukuntu ibihe byahindutse. Muri iki gihe, abantu bakuru mu Bwongereza banywa amazi menshi kurusha uko byari bimeze mu myaka ishize, naho muri Leta Zunze Ubumwe za Amerika, igurishwa ry’amazi apfunyitse ryarenze iry’ibinyobwa bidasembuye (soda).

Twahoranye ubutumwa butubwira ko kunywa litiro nyinshi z’amazi buri munsi ari ryo banga ry’ubuzima bwiza, bikagira uruhare runini mu gutera uruhu rwiza n’imbaraga mu mubiri, kandi ko bizadufasha kugabanya ibiro no kwirinda kanseri zinyuranye.

Abagenzi bagenda bakoresha metro ya Londres bashishikarizwa kujyana amacupa y’amazi, abanyeshuri mu mashuri bagirwa inama zo kujyana amazi mu masomo yabo, kandi inama nyinshi zo mu biro ntizitangira hatari amacupa menshi y’amazi ku meza.

Iki cyifuzo cyo kunywa amazi gishingiye ku cyiswe "itegeko rya 8x8": inama itari iyemewe ivuga ko umuntu akwiriye kunywa ibirahuri umunani by’amazi bya mililitiro 240 buri munsi, bikaba bingana hafi na litiro ebyiri, hiyongereyeho n’ibindi binyobwa.

Ariko iryo "tegeko" ntirishingiye ku bushakashatsi bwa siyansi, kandi nta mabwiriza yemewe yo mu Bwongereza cyangwa mu Muryango w’Ubumwe bw’u Burayi avuga ko dukwiriye kunywa amazi angana atyo.

Kuki rero hari urujijo rwinshi ku bijyanye n’ingano y’amazi umuntu akwiriye kunywa? Birasa n’aho byaturutse ku gusobanura nabi amabwiriza abiri yatanzwe kera cyane.

Mu 1945, Akanama gashinzwe Ibiribwa n’Imirire ka Leta Zunze Ubumwe za Amerika (US Food and Nutrition Board) gakorana n’Inama Nkuru y’Ubushakashatsi (National Research Council) katanze inama ivuga ko abantu bakuru bagomba kunywa mililitiro imwe y’amazi kuri buri kalori imwe y’ibiribwa basabwa kurya.

Ibi byanganya na litiro ebyiri ku bagore bafite indyo ya kalori 2,000 ku munsi, na litiro ebyiri n’igice ku bagabo barya kalori 2,500.

Ntabwo byarebaga amazi yonyine gusa ahubwo byanarebaga n’ubundi bwoko bwinshi bw’ibinyobwa, ndetse n’imbuto n’imboga, bishobora kuba bigizwe n’amazi agera kuri 98%, biteranyije byose.

Mu 1974, igitabo Nutrition for Good Health, cyanditswe n’inzobere mu mirire Margaret McWilliams na Frederick Stare, cyatanze inama ko umuntu mukuru usanzwe akwiye kunywa hagati y’ibirahuri bitandatu n’umunani by’amazi ku munsi.

Abo banditsi basobanuye ko ayo mazi ashobora no kuboneka mu mbuto n’imboga, mu binyobwa birimo kafeyine n’ibinyobwa bisanzwe (soft drinks), ndetse no mu nzoga.

Ubumenyi ku kugira amazi ahagije mu mubiri
Amazi ni ingenzi cyane, nta gushidikanya. Amazi agize hafi bibiri bya gatatu by’uburemere bw’umubiri wacu, amazi asukura umubiri wacu kandi akawuha intungamubiri ukeneye, agafasha kugenzura ubushyuhe bw’umubiri, agatuma ingingo zacu zikora neza, kandi akagira uruhare mu mikorere y’umubiri wacu uhereye ku ruhu kugera ku bwonko.

Duhora dutakaza amazi binyuze mu kubira ibyuya, kwihagarika no guhumeka. Kugira amazi ahagije mu mubiri bisaba kumenya kuyaringaniza neza, kandi ni ingenzi cyane mu kwirinda kubura amazi mu mubiri (déshydratation).

Ibimenyetso byo kubura amazi bitangira kugaragara iyo dutakaje hagati ya 1–2% by’amazi mu mubiri, kandi uko kubura amazi bigenda byiyongera ni ko ubuzima bugenda bwangirika kugeza igihe twongeye kunywa amazi ahagije.

Mu bihe bidasanzwe cyane, kubura amazi bishobora no guteza urupfu.

Mu myaka myinshi ishize, hari ibyavugwaga bidashingiye ku bushakashatsi ku itegeko rya "8x8" (kunywa ibirahuri umunani by’amazi ku munsi), bituma abantu benshi bemera ko kumva inyota bivuze ko umuntu yamaze kugera ku rwego rukomeye rwo kubura amazi.

Ariko impuguke nyinshi zemeranya ko tudakeneye amazi arenze ayo umubiri wacu ubwawo usaba, kandi tukayanywa igihe umubiri ubidusabye.

Irwin Rosenburg, umushakashatsi mukuru mu ishami rya Neuroscience no gusaza muri Kaminuza ya Tufts muri Leta ya Massachusetts, agira ati:

"Kugenzura uko amazi aguma mu mubiri ni kimwe mu bintu bikomeye kandi byateye imbere cyane mu mateka y’ihindagurika ry’ibinyabuzima, uhereye igihe abakurambere bacu bava mu mazi bakajya ku butaka. Dufite uburyo bwinshi kandi buhanitse umubiri ukoresha mu kwirinda kubura amazi."

Mu mubiri muzima, ubwonko bumenya igihe amazi atangiye kugabanuka maze bugateza inyota, igatuma umuntu anywa andi. Nanone, ubwonko burekura umusemburo (hormone) ubwira impyiko kugumana amazi menshi mu mubiri, bigatuma inkari ziba nke kandi ziremereye.

Courtney Kipps, umwarimu wa Siporo n’Ubuvuzi bw’Imyitozo ngororamubiri mu Kigo cya Siporo, Imyitozo n’Ubuzima (ISEH) akaba n’umuyobozi w’ubuvuzi wa Triathlon zo muri Blenheim na London, avuga ati:

"Iyo wumvise neza ibyo umubiri wawe ukubwira, uzumva ko ukumenyesha igihe ufite inyota. Burya ngo biba byatinze iyo umuntu ageze aho kumva ko afite inyota. Bivuze ko yagombye kuba anywa amazi adategereje ko umubiri ubimwibutsa.

Gusa nanone abahanga bavuga ko inyota atari ikimenyetso cyizewe cyo kugaragaza ko umubiri wawe wabuze amazi.

Ariko se kuki ibindi byose mu mubiri byaba bikora neza hanyuma inyota yo ikaba idakora neza? Iyi mikorere yamaze imyaka ibihumbi ikora neza mu buzima bw’abantu."

N’ubwo amazi ari yo meza kurusha ibindi binyobwa kuko adafite kalori, ibindi binyobwa na byo bifasha gutanga amazi mu mubiri, harimo icyayi n’ikawa.

N’ubwo kafeyine (caffeine) ishobora gutuma umuntu yihagarika gato, ubushakashatsi bugaragaza ko icyayi n’ikawa bigira uruhare mu gutanga amazi mu mubiri.

Ndetse n’ibinyobwa bimwe birimo inzoga na byo bishobora gutanga amazi, n’ubwo bigomba kunyobwa mu rugero.