Your physical health might be dramatically impacted by hydration, a research finds.

Dramatically impacted by hydration

You may already be aware of the need of appropriate hydration for regular physical processes like controlling body temperature and preserving skin health.

Your physical health might be dramatically impacted by hydration, a research finds.

But according to a National Institutes of Health study that was released Monday in the journal eBioMedicine, drinking enough water is also linked to a significantly lower risk of contracting chronic diseases, a lower risk of dying young, or a lower risk of biologically being older than your chronological age.

According to a news release from study author Natalia Dmitrieva, a researcher in the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, a division of the NIH, "the results suggest that proper hydration may slow down aging and prolong a disease-free life."

A significant problem of preventive medicine, according to the study's authors, is figuring out what preventive interventions can slow down the aging process. That's because as the global population increasingly ages, an epidemic of "age-dependent chronic diseases" is rising. Additionally, prolonging a healthy life span might have a greater positive impact on quality of life and health care expenses than simply treating disorders.

On the basis of earlier similar research in mice, the authors hypothesized that maintaining optimum hydration would slow down the aging process. According to the latest study, those investigations found that mice subjected to lifetime water restriction had their serum sodium levels increase by 5 millimoles per liter and their life spans cut by six months, which is equivalent to around 15 years in humans. When we drink fewer fluids, our blood's level of serum sodium rises.

The research team discovered that adults with serum sodium levels at the higher end of the normal range, which is 135 to 146 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L), had worse health outcomes than those at the lower end of the range using health data gathered over 30 years from 11,255 Black and White adults as part of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, or ARIC. Participants were in their 40s or 50s when data collection started in 1987, and their average age at the last assessment was 76 throughout the study duration.

Comparing participants with levels between 137 and 142 mEq/L, adults with levels over that range had a 10% to 15% higher likelihood of being biologically older than their chronological age. The participants who were at a higher risk of aging more quickly also had a 64% higher risk of contracting chronic illnesses such diabetes, dementia, peripheral artery disease, heart failure, stroke, atrial fibrillation, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Additionally, those with levels above 144 mEq/L had a 50% increased risk of biological aging and a 21% increased risk of premature death. On the other hand, adults with serum sodium concentrations between 138 and 140 mEq/L had the lowest chance of contracting a chronic illness. Participants' water intake was not recorded in the study.

Dr. Howard Sesso, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, stated via email that this study "adds observational evidence that reinforces the potential long-term benefits of improved hydration on reductions in long-term health outcomes, including mortality." Sesso wasn't a part of the investigation.

But Sesso noted that it "would have been excellent to combine their definition of hydration, based on blood sodium levels alone, with real fluid intake data from the ARIC cohort."

The performance of many organ systems and functions, including those related to the respiratory, metabolic, immunological, and inflammatory systems, was measured using biomarkers to assess biological age.

Low serum sodium levels also increased the risk of disease, early mortality, and rapid aging; high serum sodium levels were not the sole factor linked with these outcomes.

According to the authors, this result is consistent with earlier studies showing increased mortality and cardiovascular disease in persons with low regular salt levels, which has been linked to illnesses causing electrolyte imbalances.

The study followed people for a long time, but the results, according to the authors, do not establish a causal link between serum salt levels and these health consequences. The findings can aid clinicians in identifying and advising people at danger, they continued, but more research is required.

"Evaluation of fluid consumption might be beneficial for people whose serum sodium is 142 mEq/L or greater," Dmitrieva added.

Sesso pointed out that accelerated aging, "which is a hard notion that we are just starting to comprehend," was not strongly addressed in the study.

This has "two major causes," Sesso explained. Although this is one of many classifications for which there is no universal agreement, the study's authors "relied on a mix of 15 markers for accelerated aging. Furthermore, because their findings on dehydration and accelerated aging were a "snapshot" in time, we are unable to determine what causes what.

Consume adequate liquids each day.

The authors of the new research highlighted a number of studies that found that around half of people globally do not consume the recommended amount of total water each day.

According to Dmitrieva, this "may have a significant impact on a worldwide level." The data indicate that maintaining good hydration may slow down aging and prevent or delay chronic disease. Decreased body water content is the most common reason that increases serum sodium.

Consuming water, other liquids, including fruits and vegetables with a high water content affects our serum sodium levels.

According to Dr. Richard Johnson, professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, "the most impressive discovery is that this risk (for chronic diseases and aging) is present even in persons who have serum sodium levels that are on the upper end of the "normal range." He wasn't a part of the investigation.

This raises the issue of what constitutes truly typical behavior and reinforces the idea that, as a population, we probably don't drink enough water.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, water, which makes up more than 50% of your body, is essential for several bodily processes like digestion, the production of hormones and neurotransmitters, and the distribution of oxygen.

Women should drink 2.7 liters (91 ounces) of fluids daily, while men should swallow 3.7 liters (125 ounces), according to the National Academy of Medicine (previously the Institute of Medicine). This advice covers all fluids as well as foods high in water content such fruits, vegetables, and soups. With an 80:20 fluid-to-food ratio on average, that translates to 9 cups of water for women and 12 12 glasses of water for males every day.

People with medical issues should discuss their ideal fluid intake with their doctor.

In a news release, study coauthor and head of the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine Dr. Manfred Boehm said, "The goal is to ensure patients are consuming adequate fluids while analyzing factors, including drugs, that may lead to fluid loss." Doctors might also have to respect the patient's ongoing treatment regimen, including restricting fluid intake in the case of heart failure.

You might need assistance incorporating the habit into your regular routine if you're having problems staying hydrated. When you wake up, try keeping a glass of water by your bedside, or sip water while your coffee is making. Set up your daily routine of drinking water at a place you frequent, Dr. B.J. Fogg, a behavioral science specialist and the creator and head of the Stanford University Behavior Design Lab.