On average, the human body is 60% water. So it makes sense that water does something important there. And in fact, almost every physiological process requires water.
Over the past few years, hydration studies have shifted from studying the role of hydration in athletic ability to the role of water in overall health. Scientists have found some interesting connections.
Water is essential for the body
There is evidence Dehydration can cause inflammation, cause arteriosclerosis, and interfere with blood pressure control (they sway violently until your blood pressure is too high and too low). According to study Published in 2022 European Heart Journalif you are fully hydrated during the middle age period, you can reduce the risk of heart problems in later years.
The brain also needs water. Research on the cognitive effects of mild dehydration remains sparse and somewhat inconsistent, but shows that body hydration levels have an effect. Cognition performance, Working Memory, and feeling.
Adam Seal, Scientists studying hydration physiology and diabetes biomarkers at California Polytechnic are among the researchers working to understand how the lack of water or it affects our health.
If you don’t drink enough water, your blood volume will decrease and your blood concentration, especially the plasma, will increase. Your brain responds by secreting the hormone vasopressin. Vasopressin, also known as the antidiuretic hormone (ADH), helps regulate the amount of water in the body. Vasopressin, he explains, has many downstream effects.
read more: This is how much water you should actually drink every day
So is the seal and coworkers discovery Among other things, vasopressin acts on the liver and pancreas, which can cause a series of events that lead to problems with glucose regulation.
“We certainly aren’t saying drinking water cures diabetes,” he says. “But it’s a low-cost, easy lifestyle change and could potentially be effective.”
When you add it to keep your heart strong, your emotions are stable, your memories are sharp, and who doesn’t want to ensure they get enough water? But how much?
How much water do you need?
You may have heard that you need to drink 8 glasses of water a day. But that advice doesn’t make any sense. What is the definition of “glass”? Fortunately, National Academy of Medicine (NAM) is more specific Recommendations.
According to the NAM, on average, men need about 3 liters of water a day, while women need about 2. “It’s for normal water,” explains Seal. But some of your water comes from the food. Melons, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery and spinach are all high water foods that provide other important nutrients.
Does coffee count towards your body fluid intake? After all, it’s mainly water. The amazing and happy answer is yes! Caffeine teeth Diuretics explain seals. But he the study It showed that to disrupt the balance of fluids, it requires much more caffeine than a typical coffee drink.
Alcohol is another known diuretic. Again, alcohol has dehydration properties, but “the good news is that for example beer still has high water content,” says Shiel. “It offsets some of the dehydration effects.” Alcohol is unlikely to dehydrate you unless you drink too much.
How do you know if you have enough water?
A good indicator of sufficient water is the color of the urine. When you are dehydrated, your urine will become darker. If it’s clear or pale yellow, you’re probably doing well. Another good indicator is the frequency of urination. More water, more trips to Lou. And that’s a good thing!
Thirst is generally a reliable indicator of when you need to drink, says Stir. But when you’re exercising, it doesn’t work very well. Seal’s research found it’s rather poor to estimate how much you need to drink while exercising. So, try to take regular water breaks in the gym, field or court, even if you don’t feel it’s necessary. The same can be said whenever you are in the heat.
So, please be positive. Go and drink some water. Why not prepare a juicy salad?
read more: Does drinking water really help you lose weight?
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Our author discovermagazine.com Our articles use peer-reviewed research and high-quality sources, and editors review scientific accuracy and editing criteria. Check out the sources used below in this article.
Avery Hart is a freelance science journalist. In addition to writing for Discover, she regularly writes about a variety of outlets, both printed and online, including National Geographic, Science News Explores, Medscape, and WebMD. She is the author of Bullet who has your name. What You Probably Die, and What You Can Do About It, Clerisy Press 2007, and some books for younger readers. While attending university, Avery started out in journalism, writing for the school’s newspapers and editing student non-fiction magazines. Although she writes about all fields of science, she is particularly interested in AI-interests that developed while earning degrees in neuroscience, science of consciousness, and philosophy.