by Maria Giovanna Faiella
Our body is 60-70% water. What happens with high temperatures. How much water to drink. Are supplements needed? Expert advice
Why can we get dehydrated when it’s hot? What happens to the body and what are the risks? How to understand when we are really dehydrated? How to recover? Here’s what to know and expert advice.
Delicate balance
First of all, it must be remembered that the human body is made up of 60-70 percent water, which is essential for the functioning of our organism – said Dario Manfellotto, internist at the Fatebenefratelli Isola Tiberina – Gemelli Isola di Roma hospital and president of the Fadoi Foundation (Society scientific internal medicine) -. Body water is distributed in the space between the cells, in the tissues, in the blood and contains various components in solution – proteins, electrolytes (minerals) such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, etc. – which, to various extents and in various combinations, serve for all metabolic exchanges and the maintenance of homeostasis, i.e. the normal functioning of the organism. If this delicate balance is altered, the organism suffers.
Who runs the most risks (including heatstroke)
Older people are at greater risk. In the elderly – underlines Manfellotto – this balance is even more delicate because the sense of thirst is very attenuated, so when he begins to feel thirsty he is already in an initial state of dehydration.
Why it is necessary to drink (even when you are not thirsty)
Drinking adequately is a general rule valid for everyone and it is important to “play in advance” by preventing the onset of a sense of thirst. But what are the symptoms of dehydration? The first symptom is thirst – explains the specialist -. The problem, however, as already mentioned, is that it appears when there is already a certain degree of dehydration; on the other hand, thirst should be prevented so as not to feel it almost spasdomically. We must try to “anticipate” it by drinking regularly, especially when it’s very hot, tap water (which is drinkable in the vast majority of Italian municipalities) or mineral water, according to taste, avoiding consuming both alcoholic beverages and drinks that contain sugars as they bring a false sense of thirst satisfaction.
Other symptoms of dehydration
Other symptoms of dehydration
, in addition to that of thirst, are subjective – continues the internist doctor -. The most frequent are weakness, the inability to carry out normal activities, a sense of disorientation and confusion, in many cases headaches or even an increase in body temperature in conditions of extreme heat such as in this period, with the risk to suffer from heat stroke. When you are dehydrated, then, you can have a drop in blood pressure, especially when you stand up (so-called orthostatic hypotension).
How to recover
If one or more symptoms are felt – the doctor advises – to recover one must drink a little at a time, take shelter in cool places in the shade, also in order not to sweat (which involves the loss of body water), rest, do not efforts.
How much should you drink? The quantity of water to drink, recommended by the nutritional guidelines, is between one and two liters a day, depending on the outside temperature – specifies Manfellotto -. It is not necessary to drink water before meals or not at the table: these are just some misconceptions. A good rule, on the other hand, is to drink a glass of water (about 120 ml) every hour, even if you are not thirsty, so that you can drink at least a liter and a half during the day. Then, if you add other drinks such as cappuccino, chamomile tea, milk, fruit juices, you get to consume the two liters of liquids a day necessary in extreme heat conditions.
Control your weight if you suffer from heart and/or kidney disease
However, be careful – warns the expert – to check that the water you drink is actually eliminated in the urine and, above all if you suffer from heart and/or kidney disease, your weight should be checked: if a sick organism is subjected to an excess of water intake may not be able to dispose of it as necessary. For example, if the patient’s weight increases by 1-2 kilos in a day, it does not mean that he has gained weight but the change in weight is most likely due to water retention. As a rule – suggests the expert – it is best for those with cardiovascular or renal disease or other chronic diseases to seek advice from their doctor, who should also be consulted if one is taking therapies such as, for example, diuretics: when it is very hot, it could be doses need to be reduced to avoid dehydration.
Are supplements needed?
Can supplements, for example, potassium and magnesium help? Since we are dealing with food supplements, for the so-called mineral salts the very strict standards to which drugs are subject to be placed on the market are not applied – explains Manfellotto -. Often we do not know, for example, the quantities of calcium, potassium or magnesium or if they contain other components, so if you take them in an uncontrolled way you can face an accumulation of these substances. For young and healthy people it can be a “non” problem; it can become risky, however, if you are taking medicines for high blood pressure or suffer from heart or kidney disease; for example, nephropathic patients, who tend to retain potassium, may run the risk of hyperkalemia if they take supplements that are very rich in this substance. These are not very frequent conditions but they must be taken into account, so before taking supplements it is good to talk to the doctor in charge, who knows the clinical conditions of his client.
August 1, 2023 (change August 1, 2023 | 08:06)
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