Is it better to drink more water in summer? Why did drinking water cause trouble?

The summer heat has finally begun. In order to avoid heat stroke, many people pay special attention to drinking water. Many fitness and health sharing posts on the Internet also recommend that everyone should ensure "drinking 3-4L of water every day." But is this advice really reliable?

Let me first say the conclusion: don’t drink so much!

01

Drinking too much water in a short period of time

"Water intoxication" is hyponatremia

Water is the source of life and is involved in almost all life activities of the human body. It is like the lubricating oil of an engine. Too much or too little is not good. Incorrect drinking methods can cause problems in the body due to lack of water or temporary excessive water intake.

The reason why "water poisoning" occurs is not the water itself, but the wrong way of drinking. When the weather is hot, people will inevitably sweat. If the water is not replenished in time, the water in the body will be lost in large quantities with sweat, the body temperature will be too high, and the body will suffer from heat stroke due to abnormal metabolism. The popularity of this common sense is still very high. Everyone knows that you can't be thirsty in summer, but on the contrary, why is it not okay to drink too much water?

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If too much water is added in a short period of time, especially plain water, when this amount exceeds the excretion capacity of the kidneys, the body will not have time to adjust, and dilutional hyponatremia will occur. The specific manifestations are reduced sodium ion concentration, reduced blood osmotic pressure, and a large amount of water transferred to cells, especially brain cells, which will lead to brain cell edema, and symptoms of the central nervous system and digestive system such as dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. This is "water intoxication."

02

Drink no more than 2L of water per day

Don't overload your kidneys

The main reason for "water intoxication" is that the body does not have time to metabolize the excessive amount of water in a short period of time. We should follow the popular "health and weight loss advice" of "3-4L of water per day" on the Internet. So, how much water should we drink every day?

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According to the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2016)", the daily water intake of adults should be maintained at 1500-1700 ml. In summer, sweating is slightly more, so the amount of water can be increased appropriately, but it should not exceed 2000 ml. As we all know, the water we drink must be metabolized by the kidneys. Drinking too much water will put the kidneys in a state of "high load operation". Especially for people with abnormal renal function, the total amount of water intake should be controlled. Drinking more water temporarily will not have much effect on the kidneys, but if it is a long-term situation, drinking excessive water every day, the kidneys will be overwhelmed.

03

The timing and frequency of drinking water are important

Drink small amounts frequently and don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink

In addition to paying attention to the total amount of water you drink every day, you also need to pay attention to some details about the timing and frequency of drinking water.

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First of all, don’t wait until your body sends out a “thirst” signal before drinking water, because once you become aware of “thirst,” it means your body is at least 2% dehydrated.

Secondly, the most correct way is to evenly distribute the time of drinking water throughout the day. If you drink too much water at once, it will cause harm to your body instead of replenishing water. You can maintain a certain frequency and drink 50-100 ml each time. This will achieve the effect of replenishing water without causing health risks due to drinking too much water at one time.

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In addition, after outdoor activities or strenuous exercise, you will feel thirsty due to sweating and drink a lot of water. At this time, the risk of water poisoning is relatively high. You can drink 200 ml of water about half an hour before exercise. This not only replenishes the body with water in advance, but also avoids drinking a lot of water because of thirst. In addition, the best time to drink water before and after meals is 0.5-1 hour before meals.

04

Drinking beverages and juices ≠ drinking water

Room temperature is best, don't be too cool

Regarding the question of what kind of water to drink, in general, it is recommended that you choose to drink boiled water, of course, light tea is also a good choice. It should be noted that many young people do not accept "tasteless water", but beverages and fruit juices cannot replace drinking water. It tastes sour and sweet, but the large amount of sugar in it is not good for the body.

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If you stay outdoors for a long time, especially when working or exercising in high temperatures, drinking plain water alone will not replenish your water. In this case, you can add some light salt water. It is also very simple to make your own light salt water. Just add 1 gram of salt to 500 ml of water.

In the hot summer, many friends who are afraid of heat are used to putting drinking water in the refrigerator. When they get home from outside, they can't wait to open the refrigerator and drink it directly. It is indeed refreshing, but it is also harmful to the body.

Drinking ice water can indeed quickly cool you down, but the lower the water temperature, the greater the impact on the digestive and circulatory systems. This is why we experience short-term dizziness and headaches when eating popsicles or drinking ice water in high temperatures. Therefore, even if the weather is hot, you should still drink room temperature or slightly cool water. Do not choose water with ice chips, otherwise it will really hurt your stomach.

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In short, there is nothing wrong with drinking more water in summer, but the amount and method of drinking water must be scientific and reasonable, so that you can enjoy the beauty of summer comfortably while maintaining good health.

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

Review | Wu Ping Director of Clinical Nutrition Department, Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University

This article is produced by the "Science Rumor Refutation Platform" (ID: Science_Facts). Please indicate the source when reprinting.

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