Just 8 glasses: the simple step that will keep your heart - Walla! health

2021-08-31T04:32:27.525Z

You probably know the recommendation to drink 8 glasses of water a day, but honestly - can you stand it? If not, this new study has revealed a surprising and compelling reason to try anyway >>>

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Just 8 glasses: The simple step that will keep your heart

Everyone is familiar with the recommendation to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, the problem that very few people face.

A new study has revealed another and very surprising reason to be careful about drinking water

If you add this thing to your water, they will be healthier

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The experts' recommendations regarding a sufficient amount of drink are usually around 6-8 glasses of water a day for women, while for men 8-12 glasses of water is the recommended amount.

And although these are very familiar and not really new recommendations, surveys conducted over the years repeatedly reveal that the vast majority of people do not even come close to the recommended amount.

8 cups today, a healthier heart in 20 years.

Woman drinking a glass of water (Photo: ShutterStock)

According to the researchers, a measurement of sodium in the blood allows them to measure the state of fluids in the body quite accurately.

When people do not drink enough water the concentration of sodium in their blood increases.

The body's response to a lack of adequate fluids is to try and retain as much water as possible within the body, and the same processes that allow it to do so are also the ones that cause damage to heart health and may eventually lead to heart failure as well.

"It is natural to think that the concentration of sodium in the blood will change frequently, depending on changes in our drinking habits. But the truth is that the concentration of sodium in the blood remains within a fairly limited range of values for long periods of time, indicating that it is not short-term changes. In the long run, "Dr. Dimitrive explained.

Less water today, more heart problems later

In the study, Dimitrava and her team examined the sodium concentration in the blood of 15,792 adults who are on the database of a study called ARIC - a long-term study that attempts to estimate the risks of cardiovascular disease in the community.

All study participants were aged 44-66 at baseline, and their health status was monitored and assessed 5 times over a 25-year period.

Concentration of sodium in the blood above a certain level increases the risk of heart failure.

Woman holding chest (Photo: ShutterStock)

Among other things, the researchers monitored the subjects' drinking habits and also the thickening or other changes in the walls of the left ventricle of the heart - this is the area responsible for most of the blood pumping in the heart.

Condensation of the walls there is a common feature in people with a tendency to heart failure.

The researchers divided the study participants into 4 categories, according to the suggested sodium values in their blood at the beginning of the study.

These values ranged from 135-135.9 in group 1, 140-141.5 in group 2, 142-143.5 in group 3, 144-146 in group 4. Next, the researchers compared these values to people who developed heart failure or left ventricular hypertrophy up to the 25th year of the study. .

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The researchers found that a higher concentration of sodium in the blood in middle age was associated with both heart failure and degeneration in the left ventricle of the heart at a later age.

And these findings remained consistent even after weighting of additional variables such as age, blood pressure, kidney condition, cholesterol, blood sugar, BMI, sex and smoking habits.

In addition, the researchers calculated and found that any increase of one unit in the sodium concentration in the blood increases the risk of left ventricular degeneration by 1.2 percent and the risk of heart failure by 1.11 percent.

Target number

Dr. Dimitreeva explained that her study found that between the ages of 70-90 there was an increased risk of heart problems when the sodium level in the blood rose above 142. She said this measure may help doctors identify people who may be at risk for heart problems later in life and assess their fluid and drinking habits. And if necessary allow for an intervention that will improve their future health.She pointed out that these are sodium levels that normal laboratory tests would not be considered outside the norm, but a close examination of them in the right context would make it possible to identify people at risk.