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Proper hydration can prevent early aging and chronic diseases, reveals new NIH study

According to a recent study by NIH on hydration, adding consistent good hydration to healthy lifestyle choices may slow down the aging process

BY ROHIT UPADHYAY

UPDATED JAN 3, 2023

A study by the National Institutes of Health revealed that poor hydration can lead to early death (Representational image/Getty Images)

BETHESDA, MARYLAND: A recent study has found that lack of hydration can pace up your aging and will increase the risk of chronic diseases, ultimately leading to death at an early age as compared to those who stay well-hydrated. An article published on Monday, January 2, 2023, by the National Institutes of Health studied data that observed 11,000 adults in the US for a period of over 25 years. These individuals participated for the first time at ages 46 to 66, and then returned for their follow-up medical visits between ages 70 and 90.

"Risk to develop these diseases increases as we age and accumulate damages in various tissues in the body," said one of the study’s authors Natalia Dmitrieva, a researcher at the NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, in an email statement. In her earlier research, Dmitrieva discovered that higher blood sodium could be a major reason behind heart failure. She said, "Emerging evidence from our and other studies indicate that adding consistent good hydration to these healthy lifestyle choices may slow down the aging process even more," suggesting regular physical activity and substantial nutrition is key to a healthy lifestyle.

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The experts reportedly kept a tab on levels of sodium in the participants’ blood as a proxy for hydration. Since higher concentrations are a sign that individuals were not taking in the appropriate quantity of fluids. It further found out that the participants with high blood-sodium levels aged more quickly physiologically than those with far lower levels. It is reflected in health markers associated with aging, such as cholesterol, blood sugar, and high blood pressure.

According to Dr Lawrence Appel, the director of the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research at Johns Hopkins University, the connection between drinking fluids and age-related chronic diseases remains "highly speculative". He argues that the NIH study "doesn’t prove that drinking more water will prevent chronic disease". In an email, Dr Mitchell said that individuals with neurological issues or other disabilities may also have higher than average-blood-sodium levels, reports NBC News.

Asher Rosinger, the director of the Water, Health, and Nutrition Lab at Penn State College of Health and Human Development, shared the benefits of drinking enough water, “[It] will ensure kidneys work properly and extra stress isn’t placed on the body physiologically."