Who does not advise us to drink a lot of water. It can be nutritionists and fitness trainers, cosmetologists and doctors, friends and relatives. But many have the question: "If you drink a lot of water, what will happen?" Today our goal is to understand what water gives the body, how much it needs to be consumed, and how its excess or deficiency affects its condition.
First of all, people who want to lose weight decide to drink more water. With the help of water, they try to fill the void in the stomach and satisfy the hunger. But in fact, the body needs water as air. Often people say that they drink a little because they don’t want to. In fact, we are simply not used to drinking water. More often we consume sugary drinks, juices, tea or coffee. But, as nutritionists say, only water can quench your thirst. Juice, milk and other liquids are food, while coffee and tea are poison. And yet, if you drink a lot of water, what will happen? Will it benefit the body or, conversely, cause deviations in its work?
A little physiology
Water is the foundation of life on earth. All biochemical processes in the body are associated with water metabolism; moreover, the human body itself is 80% water. For the body to function like a clock, it needs a certain amount of clean water. How much is already a somewhat controversial issue. The more body weight - the higher the need for it. For a person weighing 50 kg, 1.5 liters per day is enough, and if the weight is within 80 kg, it is advisable to drink about 2.5 liters. The figure sounds quite impressive, and people begin to doubt: "Can I drink so much liquid, and if I drink a lot of water, what will happen to me?" In fact, this is because we are not used to drinking water, but in vain. Due to constant dehydration, problems with skin and hair begin, chronic diseases of the heart and intestines become aggravated, metabolic processes are disturbed. Even the smell of sweat with a lack of fluid in the body becomes different, more harsh and piercing, due to an excess of toxins.
There are a few more points that affect our need for fluids. This is the ambient temperature. The hotter it is in the street, the more moisture the body loses. The second point is physical activity. So, the office worker will have less water need than the builder.
The role of fluid in the body
Water is the foundation of our existence. It dissolves substances in the body, delivers nutrients to cells, and removes toxins from the body. Therefore, your body will only be better if you drink a lot of water. What will happen to the kidneys is a separate issue that most people care about. We answer: if you do not suffer from serious diseases of these organs, then a large amount of clean water will only benefit. In all other cases, you need to consult a doctor.
Very much the need for water depends on what we eat. If you are a fan of savory salty foods, preservatives rich in processed foods, then you really need to drink plenty of water. The more you consume junk food, the more resources the body spends to wash all toxins and wastes. If you care about your health, then switch to healthy food. It is permissible for vegetarians to reduce their water intake to 1-1.5 liters per day. By the way, the amount of water consumed directly depends on the abundance of your meals. If you are used to eating a lot, then you need to drink a lot.
You may be surprised, but almost half of all diseases occur because the body lacks plain water. So that your joints do not creak, stones are not deposited in the kidneys, and the skin is not too dry, you just need to make it a rule to maintain a normal fluid level in the body.
How is water loss
All life support processes consume water. This applies not only to urination. Together with breathing and then we also release precious moisture. In a day, the body thus loses about 2 liters of fluid, which it must replenish. Soups, compotes, and other food products, of course, contain the liquid part, but it has a different structure and will not replace simple water. It is harmful to drink a lot of water only if you have direct contraindications to the doctor, in other cases you should at least block the daily loss of fluid. Dehydration is an extremely difficult condition that undermines the functioning of its defense mechanisms. Especially often this occurs during moments of severe vomiting or diarrhea, elevated body temperature. At such times, water consumption should be as high as possible.
What happens to the body if little water is consumed
We cannot live without water. Even the breathing process, which seems to be autonomous, requires a large amount of fluid to moisturize the lungs. Only for this you need about 0.5 liters per day. It should be borne in mind that the exhaled air contains moisture, which increases the body's water consumption to 0.7 or 1 liter, depending on physical exertion. If the fluid does not renew, then the breathing process is difficult. Add to this the costs of the excretory system (sweat and urine), replenishment of the liquid part of the blood, and you will understand that you need to drink a lot of water.
Eating too little of it contributes to the accumulation of decay products and toxins in the body, the formation of excess fat, can cause poor muscle tone and impaired digestive system. A lack of water greatly increases blood viscosity, which can lead to lower blood pressure and blood clots. That is, the question of why drink plenty of water can be answered very easily: so that the body functions fully.
Separately, we can say about the relationship of the fragile beauty of a woman with the consumption of a sufficient amount of liquid. Now you will understand why you need to drink more water. Smoothness and good skin color, condition and hair growth depend on this. With a lack of clean water, wrinkles form much faster, dry skin rises, and hair loss intensifies.
Moderate dehydration
So many people don’t even think about such simple things. Why drink a lot of water, because you can eat soup, an apple, drink juice - and the body will receive everything that is needed. So the majority considers. This is a big mistake, because nothing can replace clean water. If a person drinks little water, then dehydration occurs. And most of us are constantly in this state. The first symptom to pay attention to is thirst. Accustomed to drink a little, we can not pay attention to it for a long time, especially if we are very busy at work. In this case, the body turns on the economy mode. Reduced sweating and decreased urination. You can work all day and never want to use the toilet. However, the body works in an emergency mode. To compensate for the decrease in moisture reserves, the body begins to remove fluid from the cells. So water enters the bloodstream, maintains proper blood pressure and replenishes the supply of lymph.
The next symptom of moderate dehydration can be a headache, which manifests itself especially strongly at the end of the day. This is how the brain reacts to changes, which consists of 90% water. Those who say it is harmful to drink plenty of water are greatly mistaken. As you can see, the opposite is true.
Severe dehydration
Now we will tell you what happens to the body if you continue to live in the same mode. We hope that this will become a sufficiently powerful argument that will explain why you need to drink more water. If you drink less than a liter of water every day (not including soups, coffee, tea and spirits), then subsequent dehydration can lead to disruption of the functioning and condition of the kidneys, liver and heart. The extreme degree of dehydration of brain cells is hallucinations that a person sees in the desert, but it is difficult to bring oneself to such a state in urban conditions.
Prevention of water deficiency in the body
To do this, just go to the general practitioner who will confirm that you can drink plenty of water. Many fear edema, but in fact they are a sign of serious illness or an attempt by the body to stock up on liquid for future use. If you consume enough water every day (for adults this figure starts from 8 glasses, increasing if you need to do heavy, physical labor, hot weather on the street), then the excretory system will work like a watch. This means that the metabolism will go right, and excess fluid will be removed from the body in time, removing toxins and decay products.
Why is the question still relevant, is it harmful to drink a lot of water? Because its quality in many regions leaves much to be desired, and also because of the prevalence of severe kidney diseases among the population, in which a water-salt diet is indicated.
How much water can I drink per day
Most people constantly live in a state of dehydration and do not even know about it. However, harmful effects on the body can be prevented very easily. To do this, just drink from 8 to 10 glasses a day. To avoid unnecessary stress on the kidneys, you need to distribute this amount during the day and not lean on the water before going to bed. Of course, this is a relative norm. It depends on the lifestyle, quantity and quality of food consumed, season. But in general, the question of whether it is harmful to drink a lot of water can be answered unequivocally: no. You do not need to understand this as a guide to drink as much water as possible. For more accurate calculations, you can use the formula - 30 ml per day for every kilogram of weight.
Slimming water
Girls and women pass this rule to each other: if you drink a lot of water, you will lose weight. In fact, the water itself does not have fat-burning properties, it is not able to prevent the absorption of consumed fats or break down those that have already been deposited in the body. But she is a good helper for those who decide to lose weight.
To begin with, water serves as a filler for the stomach, it does not have calories, but it allows you to pacify the raging appetite and eat less at dinner. For this, nutritionists are advised to drink one or two glasses 15 minutes before each meal.
Other fluid sources
Caffeinated drinks (teas and coffee) cannot be used to quench your thirst. Soda contained in soda, coffee, beer and stronger alcoholic beverages lead to dehydration. Their use leads to increased consumption of water in the body. With regular use of them, instead of water, heartburn, pain in the abdomen, lower back, headaches and depression will be observed. Do you still doubt whether it is good to drink plenty of water? Try several months to take its prescribed amount instead of the usual tea. And watch your body condition.
Proper nutrition
If you eat enough fresh vegetables and fruits (at least 5 servings per day), you can slightly reduce the amount of water you drink per day. These are precisely the products that give the body the precious moisture in the right form. The more your food differs from healthy, that is, the more it contains flour, fried, fatty, semi-finished products, the greater the need for clean water. You can rest assured that drinking plenty of water is good. All leading experts and nutritionists say this.