Although it has long been recognized that good hydration has many health benefits, a new American study published on January 2, 2023 in the journal eBioMedicine confirms its benefits and even claims that good hydration would live longer and healthier, reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as heart failure, stroke or diabetes.
After collecting health data from more than 11,000 adults between the ages of 45 and 90 over a 30-year period, researchers from the US Public Health Institutes focused on the sodium level in the blood of patients: they increase when you drink less liquids.
Their observation is simple: adults over 30 who have had too high a sodium level would be more quickly affected by biological aging, especially because water restriction leads to DNA damage and cell inflammation accelerating the aging process. “The results suggest that proper hydration can slow aging and prolong a disease-free life.”confirmed Dr. Natalia Dmitrieva, researcher at the National Institutes of Health and lead author of the study.
What is a “normal” sodium level? In a healthy person, it should be understood between 133 and 145 millimoles per liter of blood. However, from 142, the researchers found a risk that the biological age of the body is in fact higher than the real age of the person as well as an increased risk of 64% of developing chronic diseases. From 144 millimoles, they even found a 21% increased risk of premature death.
What are the health risks of dehydration?
If the study did not give the precise quantity of liquid necessary to slow down aging, it nevertheless gives some recommendations and advises to drink between 1.5 and 2L per day and even a little more if it is hot or in case of physical activity. That is six to nine cups a day and you have the choice between water, infusions, broths (also effective in fighting the flu virus), drinks that are not too sweet and alcohol-free (because beware, contrary to popular belief, alcohol dehydrated.)
Water allows in particular to transport minerals, vitamins and nutrients in the body and especially to eliminate toxins from the body. In the short term, dehydration can cause dizziness, fatigue or even headaches. But in the longer term, it can be responsible for more or less serious health problems, ranging from bad skin to kidney stones and constipation problems.
Nevertheless, the half of the people in the world fail to comply with these recommendationseither by bad habit or by lack of access to water, making it a major public health problem today.
Source :
- Middle-age high normal serum sodium as a risk factor for accelerated biological aging, chronic diseases, and premature mortality, eBioMedicineJanuary 2, 2023
