Vast stretches of the Sahara Desert get less than half an inch of rain annually. No wonder the 2.5 million people living there have dramatically shorter life spans than people living in less harsh conditions, with a lot more water.

But you'd be surprised how many Americans are short of water too.

One study found that 7% of U.S. adults don't drink any plain water, and a more recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey concludes that U.S. kids and teens average 23 ounces of plain water daily, while adults take in an average of 44 ounces.

That’s not enough to live younger longer.

There's a lot of information that shows drinking more plain water can help you lose weight, control blood sugar, ease and prevent UTIs, tamp down migraines, and avoid kidney stones.

For example, three studies indicate that if you're overweight or obese, drinking 50 additional ounces of water daily (equal parts consumed before eating each meal) for 12 to 52 weeks can boost your weight loss by 44% to 100%.

And another study found that when people newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes drink a little more than 8 ounces of water before breakfast, almost 17 ounces before lunch, and around 9 ounces before dinner for eight weeks, their blood sugar levels decreased by more than 32 mg/dL.

Get a water filter on your sink or a filtered pitcher and dive into the remarkable health benefits you can gain, one glass at a time.