Drinking is very important for daily health… But good hydration could also prevent certain diseases such as heart failure or left ventricular hypertrophy.
- Our body is made up of more than 60% water, which makes it one of the main components.
- Each year, more than 160,000 people are hospitalized because of their heart failure and more than 70,000 die from it.
Between 1.6 liters and 2.1 liters for women and 2 to 3 liters for men… This is the amount of water you should ideally drink per day. The reason is simple: the body needs to recharge its stock of water because, throughout the day, it is emptied by perspiration, urine, breathing, etc. According to a recent study published in the european heart journalstaying well hydrated would also greatly reduce the risk of suffering from heart failure in the future.
Slow down the evolution
2.3% of the adult French population suffers from heart failure in France, according to theHealth Insurance. This disease is characterized by an inability of the heart muscle to ensure normally its role of propelling blood through the body. This impacts the other organs which no longer receive enough oxygen or nutrients to function properly. When a patient has heart failure, they may experience no symptoms at first. The evolution of this pathology is then manifested by fatigue, progressive shortness of breath (first during physical activities then in everyday activities, and even at rest), palpitations, etc. Nevertheless, with appropriate care, it is possible to slow down the progression of heart failure.
Prevent the occurrence
“Our study suggests that maintaining proper hydration can prevent or at least slow the alterations in the heart that lead to heart failure.“, explains Dr. Natalia Dmitrieva, one of the authors of the study conducted by the Bethesda National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, an institute based in the United States. Thus, drinking well throughout his life could therefore prevent the onset of this disease. But why ? In people who do not get enough hydration, serum sodium levels in their body are very high. This phenomenon has the consequence that their body, in an attempt to conserve the little water it has, activates processes that promote the development of heart failure.
More risks
To reach this conclusion, the scientists analyzed data from more than 15,000 participants. At the beginning, they were between 44 and 66 years old and, at the end, they were between 70 and 90 years old. Methodologically, the researchers divided them into four groups based on their serum sodium concentration and then recorded those who had developed heart failure during their lifetime or left ventricular hypertrophy 25 years later, i.e. say when the left ventricle of the heart – which is very important for pumping blood – has become abnormally thickened.
Result: those who had a high serum sodium concentration around the age of 40, that is to say who do not drink enough, suffered more from heart failure or left ventricular hypertrophy in the future. The authors therefore believe that there is a link between the concentration of serum sodium and the development of these heart diseases.
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