Are You Drinking Enough Water? This Happens To Your Body When Your Fluid Intake Goes Down

Drink adequate amount of water and stay well-hydrated to slow down aging and live a healthy and disease-free life.

From regulating body temperature to lubricating joints and flushing out waste, water is essential for many important functions in the body. It is recommended to drink at least 2 litres of water a day. But many of us don't meet this recommendation for daily total water intake. Insufficient fluid intake can have a big impact on your health and increase the risk for chronic conditions. Do you know what exactly happens to your body when your fluid intake goes down?

When your fluid intake goes down, your serum sodium levels go up, and that increases your risk of developing chronic conditions and dying younger, says a new study published in eBioMedicine.

The study by National Institutes of Health found that adults with higher serum sodium levels were more likely to develop chronic conditions such as heart and lung disease, show signs of advanced biological aging as well as die at a younger age, compared to those with lower serum sodium levels.

Why it is important to stay well-hydrated?

The NIH study staying well-hydrated with sufficient fluid intake is important to live a healthier and longer life with fewer chronic conditions.

To study the link between serum sodium levels and fluid intake, the NIH research team used health data gathered from more than 11,000 adults over a 30-year period. The assessed information shared by the participants during five medical visits (the first visit was made when they were in their 50s, and the last one when they were between ages 70-90).

This is what they found: Adults with higher levels of normal serum sodium were more likely to show signs of faster biological aging and have increased associated risk for premature death. According to the researchers, normal serum sodium ranges fall between 135-146 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L). Adults with serum sodium levels above 142 mEq/L also had increased associated risk for developing chronic diseases like heart failure, stroke, atrial fibrillation, peripheral artery disease, chronic lung disease, diabetes, and dementia.

Additionally, they found that adults with serum sodium levels in the medium ranges (between 138-140 mEq/L) had the lowest risk of developing chronic diseases.

The researchers noted that they had taken into account other risk factors, like age, race, biological sex, smoking status, and hypertension that could affect serum sodium levels.

In their previous study, the team had found higher ranges of normal serum sodium levels associated with increased risks for heart failure. The findings were published in March 2022. The new study is an expansion of the previous study.

How to increase your fluid intake

Natalia Dmitrieva, a study author, suggested that most people can safely increase their fluid intake by drinking water and other fluids, like juices, or eating vegetables and fruits with high water content, to meet recommended levels of daily fluid intake.

Noting that decreased water content in the body is the most common factor associated with increased serum sodium, Dmitrieva advises people to stay well hydrated.