Want a longer, healthier life? Keep drinking the water

Staying hydrated can keep you healthy well into old age and reduce the chances of dying early, a study suggests.

Staying hydrated can keep you healthy well into old age. Picture: Thinkstock.

Staying hydrated can keep you healthy well into old age and reduce the chances of dying early, a study suggests.

Research published yesterday based on more than 11,000 US adults found people with lower concentrations of sodium in their blood – indicating higher fluid intake – were less likely to develop chronic conditions.

They were also less likely to have a “biological age” greater than their true age, while adults with higher levels tended to die younger. “The results suggest that proper hydration may slow down ageing and prolong a disease-free life,” said Dr Natalia Dmitrieva, a study author and researcher in the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the US National Institutes of Health.

The study, published in eBioMedicine, uses health data taken from 11,255 adults over a 30-year period. They gave blood samples at five medical visits – the first two when they were in their fifties, and the last three when they were aged between 70 and 90. The research team found that adults with serum sodium levels at the higher end of a normal range were more likely to develop chronic conditions than those with lower readings.

Higher levels were linked to up to a 64 per cent higher chance of developing chronic conditions such as heart failure, stroke, atrial fibrillation and peripheral artery disease, as well as chronic lung disease, diabetes and dementia.

People with higher levels were also more likely to show signs of advanced biological ageing than those people with serum sodium levels in the medium ranges.

Dmitrieva said most people could safely increase their fluid intake, although Dr Manfred Boehm, a fellow author, said certain people with underlying health conditions might need medical guidance.

“The goal is to ensure patients are taking in enough fluids, while assessing factors, like medications, that may lead to fluid loss,” he said. “Doctors may also need to defer to a patient’s current treatment plan, such as limiting fluid intake for heart failure.”

The Times