We often hear that hydration is important; now comes a scientific study that points out how drinking enough fluids may also be associated with a lower risk of developing chronic disease, a lower risk of dying early, or a lower risk of being biologically older than one’s chronological age. the study is from National Institutes of Health published in the journal eBioMedicine.
“Findings suggest proper hydration may slow aging and extend disease-free life”said the author of the study Natalia Dmitrieva, a researcher in the Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine Laboratory at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a division of the NIH.
The authors of the study highlight how to learn which preventive measures can slowing down the aging process is a major challenge for preventive medicine.
It is noted that a large number of age-related chronic diseases are emerging and the world‘s population is aging rapidly. Extending healthy lifespan can help improve quality of life and reduce health care costs more than the simple treatment of diseases can do.
The fastest aging has a 64% higher risk of developing chronic disease
The authors thought that optimal hydration could slow down the aging process, based on previous similar research in mice.
In those studies, lifelong water restriction markedly increased serum sodium and shortened their lifespan by six months, which equivalent to about 15 years of human life.
Serum sodium is the sodium present in blood serum. Whey is mainly composed of water and dissolved chemicals such as sodium, potassium and calcium.
Serum sodium is also used as a marker of hydrationSodium levels rise when fluid intake decreases and decrease when fluid intake increases.
Serum sodium is usually measured in milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L). A serum sodium level normal is usually between 135 and 146 mEq/L.
However, sodium levels can vary depending on age, gender, diet and other factors. A serum sodium level that is too high or too low may signal health problems and warrant further investigation.
Using the collected health data in 30 years out of 11,255 adults dallo studio Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC), the research team found that adults with serum sodium levels at the upper end of the normal rangewhich ranges from 135 to 146 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L) had worse health outcomes than those at the lower end of the range.
Data collection began in 1987 when participants were in their 40s or 50s, and the mean age of final-assessed participants during the study period was 76 years.
Adults with levels above 142 mEq/L were 10% to 15% more likely to be biologically older than their chronological age than participants in the range of 137 to 142 mEq/L.
Participants with a faster aging risk also had a 64% higher risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart failure, stroke, atrial fibrillationperipheral artery disease, chronic lung disease, diabetes and dementia.
And people with levels above 144 mEq/L had a 50% greater risk of being biologically older and a 21% higher risk of dying prematurely. The adults with serum sodium levels between 138 and 140 mEq/L, however, had the lowest risk of developing chronic disease. However, the study lacked information on how much water the participants drank.
First scientific evidence and ideas for new studies
The study analyzed the participants over a long period of time, but the findings do not demonstrate a causal relationship between serum sodium levels and these health outcomes, said the authors.. More studies are needed, they added, but the findings may help doctors identify and guide patients at risk.
The researchers are therefore cautious and point out that these findings cannot directly suggest that a chronic decrease in hydration causes shortened lifespan.
It’s possible that low levels of daily hydration are simply a good indicator of a healthy lifestyle, and those who stay well hydrated eat better and exercise more.
However, there is some laboratory evidence that suggests that low levels of hydration can trigger signs of aging in animal and human cells.
These studies show that increased serum sodium can lead to the types of pro-inflammatory activity and DNA damage that have been linked to accelerated aging. So for researchers it is It is at least plausible to hypothesize that chronic suboptimal hydration contributes to age-related diseases.