Ensuring that you are sufficiently hydrated every day would reduce the risk of developing heart failure.
- Conducted on more than 15,000 adults followed over 25 years, the study shows that not drinking enough water increases serum sodium levels, which increases the risk of developing heart failure.
- Depending on its morphology, it is recommended to drink between 1.6 and 2.1 liters of water every day for women, and between 2 and 3 liters for men.
Indispensable for the proper functioning of our vital processes, water is the main element that makes up our body. Depending on the morphology, the human body is indeed composed of 60 to 80% water. Hence the need to drink enough every day to keep our body healthy.
Daily fluid intake recommendations range from 1.6 to 2.1 liters for women and 2 to 3 liters for men. However, numerous studies have shown that few people follow these recommendations. However, not hydrating enough can be dramatic for the body. When a person does not drink enough, the serum sodium concentration increases. The body then attempts to conserve water, activating processes known to contribute to the development of heart failure.
However, it is possible to prevent this risk by maintaining good daily hydration, reveals a new study conducted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (USA), and presented at the Congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC 2021). “Our study suggests that maintaining proper hydration can prevent or at least slow the changes within the heart that lead to heart failure”explains Dr. Natalia Dmitrieva.
A risk of left ventricular hypertrophy
The study authors wanted to know whether or not a high serum sodium concentration in middle age predicted the development of heart failure 25 years later. They also looked at the link between hydration and left ventricular wall thickening. Called left ventricular hypertrophy, this symptom is known as a precursor to the diagnosis of heart failure.
The analysis was performed on 15,792 participating adults aged 44 to 66 at the time of recruitment, who were assessed over five visits through age 70 to 90.
Participants were divided into four groups based on their mean serum sodium concentration at the first two visits: 135-139.5, 140-141.5, 142-143.5, and 144-146 mmol/L. For each sodium group, the researchers then analyzed the proportion of people who developed heart failure and left ventricular hypertrophy at the fifth visit, which took place 25 years later.
The results clearly show that higher serum sodium concentration was associated with heart failure and left ventricular hypertrophy 25 years later. In more detail, each 1 mmol/L increase in serum sodium concentration at midlife was associated with a 1.20 and 1.11 increase in the risk of developing left ventricular hypertrophy and heart failure.
According to the researchers, a serum sodium concentration above 142 mmol/l increases the risk of adverse effects on the heart. A rate that “is within the normal range and would not be labeled as abnormal in lab test results”says Dr. Dmitrieva, who nevertheless believe that it “could be used by physicians during regular physical exams to identify individuals whose habitual fluid intake should be assessed”.
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