Don’t take “drinking water” lightly, drinking more water has these 7 great benefits!

Author: Xue Qingxin, registered dietitian

Reviewer: Zhang Yu, researcher at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Drinking water is a small thing in life, but it is related to health. All life activities of the human body require the participation of water. Most of the time, people only think of replenishing water when they are thirsty, and insufficient drinking is quite common.

Many people do not have enough knowledge about the importance of drinking water, do not pay attention to drinking water, and do not realize the harm of lack of water to health, as well as the benefits of adequate water to health. This article sorts out the 8 benefits of drinking enough water for health, let's take a look.

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Benefit 1: Improve cognitive ability

Insufficient water intake can reduce cognitive abilities. When water loss reaches more than 2% of body weight, cognitive abilities may be negatively affected. Studies on adults have shown that when 2% or more of body water is lost due to high temperatures or high-intensity physical activity, visual tracking ability, short-term memory, and attention are reduced, which can be alleviated after replenishing water.

Studies have also found that Alzheimer's patients are obviously dehydrated, which may be one of the risk factors for the development of Alzheimer's disease. This is because as age increases, the formaldehyde content in the human body gradually increases, and the formaldehyde content in the brain of Alzheimer's patients will also increase, which may also be one of the causes of Alzheimer's disease. If the formaldehyde concentration is not reduced in time, it will cause chronic damage to the central nervous system and further impair cognitive ability. Long-term regular and sufficient drinking of water can help reduce the formaldehyde concentration in the body, help metabolize formaldehyde, and remove cytotoxic metabolites in the brain, which can better control the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Benefit 2: Reduce the risk of infection

The increased risk of kidney and urinary tract infections is closely related to insufficient water intake. This is because drinking more water will lead to more urination, and the urination process can take away bacteria and flush the urinary tract, thereby helping people reduce the risk of kidney and urinary tract infections.

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Benefit 3: Reduce the risk of stones

Increasing the amount of water you drink and the amount of urine you excrete can reduce the risk of kidney stones and urinary stones. For people who have had kidney stones, drinking enough water can reduce the risk of recurrence.

Studies have shown that the incidence of kidney stones is greatly reduced when drinking more than 2000 ml of water per day. Therefore, drinking more than 2000 ml of water per day is more conducive to preventing the occurrence of kidney stones, and you should also pay attention to proper water intake before going to bed.

Benefit 4: Reduce the risk of hyperuricemia

Uric acid is the final product of purine metabolism. When purine metabolism is impaired or disordered, serum uric acid levels can rise, causing hyperuricemia. Drinking more water can promote the excretion of uric acid and prevent the occurrence of hyperuricemia. If you are a gout patient, it is recommended to drink at least 2000 ml of water per day.

Benefit 5: Reduce the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

A cohort study involving 9,638 adults aged 20 to 90 years showed that those who drank 4 to 7 cups of water per day and >7 cups of water per day had a lower risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease than those who drank ≤3 cups of water per day (about 200 ml/cup). The more water they drank, the lower their risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

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Benefit 6: Weight control and weight loss

Drinking enough water every day can help maintain a healthy weight, reduce the risk of obesity, and thus reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The reason may be that drinking more water every day can take up a certain amount of stomach space, which can control appetite; and drinking water every day can reduce the intake of sugary drinks, which also reduces calorie intake. Therefore, if you are losing weight, you might as well try drinking about 300 ml of water or light soup before meals, which will help reduce the calorie intake of the main meal.

In 2020, a cohort study involving 3,200 healthy people with normal weight in my country found that drinking ≥1,000 ml of water per day can reduce the risk of overweight.

The most important thing is to develop a good habit of drinking plenty of water from an early age. Studies have mentioned that dehydration in early childhood may lead to morbid obesity in adulthood, which is mainly due to the overactivation of endogenous biosynthesis, leading to increased fatty acid biosynthesis, which in turn increases the risk of obesity.

Benefit 7: Prevent constipation

Insufficient water intake increases the risk of constipation. It is often recommended that people eat more foods rich in dietary fiber to prevent constipation. This is because water-soluble dietary fiber can absorb water and swell, increase the volume of stool, and make stool softer, which is conducive to excretion. However, if you do not drink enough water, the stool cannot absorb enough water, which will cause the stool to become dry and hard, increasing the risk of constipation. Although insoluble dietary fiber cannot absorb water, it can stimulate the mechanical movement of the gastrointestinal tract and help defecation.

Studies have mentioned that when the water content in the rectum decreases, the digestion, absorption, circulation and excretion of nutrients are restricted, and constipation will follow. Normal bowel movement function will be restored with the normal replenishment of water.

In summary, there are so many benefits of drinking water! According to the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents", men and women in my country should drink at least 1700 ml and 1500 ml of water per day respectively. Patients with kidney stones and gout need to drink more water, at least 2000 ml per day. But don't drink water crazily just to metabolize uric acid. Do things in moderation. Drinking too much water is not necessarily better. Excessive drinking will also increase the burden on the cardiovascular and kidneys.

References

[1] Chinese Nutrition Society. Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents[M]. People's Medical Publishing House. 2022

[2] Zhang Na, Ma Guansheng. Current status and prospects of research on drinking water in the elderly[J]. Journal of Nutrition, 2023, 45(1): 21-26.

[3] Chen Guanlin, Deng Xiaoting, Gao Yongqing. Study on the correlation between drinking water quality and amount and kidney stones[J]. Chongqing Medicine, 2013, 42(4): 426-428.

[4] Zhang Shunming, Meng Ge, Wu Hongmei, et al. Prospective cohort study on daily water intake and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease[C]//Chinese Nutrition Society, Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Institute of Food and Nutrition Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, School of Public Health, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Proceedings of the 15th National Nutrition Science Conference of the Chinese Nutrition Society. Proceedings of the 15th National Nutrition Science Conference of the Chinese Nutrition Society, 2022:240.

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