Dehydrated generation: Do we really need to drink more water

It seems that every week someone offers a new attachment or gadget that will keep track of how much water you drink, and drink more pushing. Increase the amount you drink is simple, but if desperately to focus on the little things like that distract from the important improvements that might be in your life.

If the tracking of the number of water you drink motivates you and other changes, and does not take all your will - excellent, excess liquid will not damage the glass. But if every night you reproach yourself for not having had a drink today as much as you want if you are a day just think about what we need to drink more water, you may overestimate the extent of its impact on the body. So, if the water is so useful indeed.

Why do we need water

Worst argument for excessive drinking - we are 75% water, or maybe 45%, where it is so, the exact amount depending on body weight and other factors. Yes, water is needed, so that the blood ran through his veins and

arteriesIt is needed to lubricate joints and for chemical reactions. At the molecular level, the water supports proteins and cell membranes in shape. We have "water" exists, there is no doubt.

But it does not mean more is better. Gasoline is needed to move the car. You would think that the more fuel the more the better, and we must be constantly topped up to a full tank. This is not true. However, absolutely no gasoline car will not go. Loss of significant amounts of water will result in serious consequences, ranging from headaches and nausea and ending with renal failure and death. A small loss of water manifest breath and dry skin. But if you are dehydrated right now? Most likely no.

Fortunately, to talk about an epidemic of dehydration do not have to

Many of us consume more than eight glasses of water a day, without noticing it. By the way, it is unclear what kind of magic number 8, why so many cups to drink. You would think that you drink a little, because you think only pure water. But when it comes to hydration, your body still, from getting water.

Half the daily amount of water we get from food: watermelon, for example, 90% of water, about the same soup contains. Even cheeseburger 42% water. Water enters the body when you drink lemonade, coffee (even with caffeine!). Caffeine It acts as a diuretic, but our body adapts to this effect after a while.

Normally, you are thirsty. And it's not talking about dehydration. Thirst appears at 2% loss of body water. In the medical sense, dehydration occurs when you have lost about 5% water. The color of urine from yellow to dark yellow signals that you need to drink some water, but not a sign of dehydration.

The benefits and dangers of water

Effect of water in many processes in the body overestimated. Let's deal when excess water is beneficial and when - no.

Weight loss

There is no evidence that if you do all day prihlobyvat water, it somehow helps to lose weight. Weight loss can contribute only that you replace all the water calorie drinks. In a review of the effect of water on weight loss in Nutrition Reviews this replacement was named promising, but more research is needed Asked whether this technique to work in the long term - not glean whether dieters lost on calorie drinks by using another food.

Is water dulls the sense of hunger? This issue was investigated thoroughly. The latest publication in Obesity answer was yes. Drinking water before a meal helps to lose weight: drink water lost by an average of about two kilograms in two months. However, in some cases, weight, on the contrary, adds. So it's not the final conclusion.

skin Health

If zaschipnut two fingers on the hand skin dehydrated person, it will not come for a long time in the former state. Does this mean that the more you drink, the younger and healthier will leather?

Logic says yes, but a study published in Clinics in Dermatology, failed to provide evidence for this hypothesis. If you drink an additional two liters of water a day, it will change the skin that will be noticeable in the laboratory, but will not reduce wrinkles and smooth out her.

brain activity

The brain works worse because of the lack of water? Answer: "Yes, but ..." Yes, if the person is dehydrated, his bad mood and thinks he is worse. But while research subjects were running or sweating in the sauna to lose water, so it is unclear, which led to demonstrations deterioration of mental abilities: dehydration or heat light hit.

When subjects were given water, some written tests better, some, strangely enough - worse than the dehydrated state. Therefore, there is no evidence again, whether your brain work better if you have a normal level of hydration, and you drink more water.

The work of internal organs

On all sides we hear that drinking water helps to flush toxins from the body. But we do not have a lot of toxins, especially to their conclusions. And those that have, the internal organs successfully cope when working normally.

prolonged dehydration can be a consequence of the formation of stones in the kidneys and bladder. If you are prone to these diseases, yes, you need to drink more to prevent them.

The effectiveness of sport activities

Here the differences very serious. To drink or not drink during exercise - both options have pros and cons mass.

Let's start with the basics: you need more water when you exercise than when you're alone. You lose water through sweat, and the amount depends on the intensity of training and the ambient temperature. Undoubtedly, while jogging in the heat of the water you will spend more than a walk on a cool day. But exactly how much water do you need?

It is believed that slight dehydration - the loss of only 2% of body weight - hurting productivity. You will run slower or feel ugly during training.

At the same time the publication British Journal of Sports Medicine tells us that in real situations athletes performance is not degraded until it reaches the dehydration of 4%, which is tantamount to a loss of 3 kg weight 75 kg. In some cases, even mild dehydration increases productivity. And no, it does not cause seizures.

Most prefer to avoid dehydration due to security considerations. Then another question arises: to drink as much as possible before, during and after a workout, or only when feeling thirsty?

And then there are also differences. The American College of Sports Medicine issued guidelines, which are approximate figures on the required amount of water and is recommended to be weighed before and after exercise to see if you are drinking enough. Manuals developers believe that the "lust - not the right indicator body's need for water."

Earlier, the Institute of Medicine (a division of National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine) has issued guidelines where It said that most healthy people can be guided only by their thirst to fully satisfy the need for water. This scientific and sports camp are concerned that fear of dehydration leads people to another problem - excessive water consumptionWhich threatens to deteriorating health, until complications with fatal consequences.

The most optimum variant - to choose a middle ground: during sports drink whenever you want. Exception - critical situations like a marathon on a hot day. In such cases, you may not notice, like become dehydrated, so it is better to warn him and to drink, even if you do not feel this need.

Water - it's great, but do not waste it on your willpower

The census of water can be only if you drink a liter per liter. It does not matter if you drink a few extra glasses a day. Or do not drink. In general, do not have to obsessively watch how much you drink, and do not be afraid that you have dehydration. You would feel.