“Water, thou hast no taste, no colour, no odour; canst not be defined, art relished while Not necessary to life, but rather life itself, thou fillest us with a gratification that exceeds the delight of the senses.”(Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
A statement that water is not necessary for life but it is in fact life itself may sound like an overstatement to many people. We know that water is essential to our health and well-being but we often underestimate its importance. Water which makes 70% of human body coordinates many vital processes in the body such as cell irrigation, waste products removal, body temperature maintenance, tissue lubrication and nutrition supply. It maintains homeostasis in the body’s cells, tissues and organs. Hence, an optimal level of hydration is absolutely critical to staying healthy and keeping illnesses under control. Even mild dehydration can lead to deterioration of human body functioning at many levels.
Dr Dana Cohen and Gina Bria in their book Quench offer a comprehensive study on hydration, strategies to keep the body well hydrated and balanced as well diseases caused by dehydration. Amongst other researchers such as Dr. Batmanghelidj (Your body’s many cries for water) they stress the fact that dehydration has a direct link with a wide range of health issues which can lead to many serious illnesses for example:
- Diseases of the cardiovascular system e.g. high blood pressure, coronary heart disease or stroke- suboptimal level of body hydration affects the tissue lining the blood vessels and their ability to constrict and dilate that controls good blood flow. Less fluid circulating in the vessels leads to blood thickening which on the other hand forces the heart to pump it around body even harder. This situation puts a lot of strain on the heart muscle, utilizes the body’s energy reserves and contributes to high blood pressure. Long term,this situation impairs heart muscle function, induces an inflammatory response at the cellular level and sets a perfect stage for heart disease development.
- Metabolic conditions e.g.diabetes mellitus. Is there an important link between diabetes and dehydration? Yes, it is. Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is an illness that causes high blood glucose levels. The hormone insulin is responsible for moving glucose from the blood into the cells to be stored or used for energy. In a diabetic, their body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or is unable to effectively use it to perform its function and when it becomes resistant to insulin, glucose builds up in the blood. When the blood glucose level is high, the kidneys will start producing extra urine in order to remove the excess of glucose from the body. This leads to dehydration which further raised the blood sugar and creates a viscous circle that may lead to life threatening ketoacidosis (when the body start producing blood ketones) and potentially coma. Hence, ongoing inadequate hydration may cause chronic high blood glucose levels and damage the body’s cells.
Chronic and intermittent pain which may be a result of dehydration as well. Vital supplies of water and nutrients are directed to the brain, heart and other important organs in the body rather than the peripheries in the first instance. When there is inadequate amount of water available, the peripheral tissues and joints are compromised and may become more rigid as there is not enough lubrication and nutrition as well as the waste products start building up which can contribute to an inflammatory response in the water deprived cells.- Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) -is caused by a blood clot forming in your deep veins, predominantly in the legs, as a result of decreased mobility linked with recent surgery, long distance travel, ageing, hormone therapy or pregnancy. Blood clots tend to form when your blood becomes thicker than normal which often happens when you are dehydrated. When you are well hydrated, there is a lot less risk of blood clot forming in your legs and if you keep drinking good quality water, it will most certainly keep you moving about to use the toilet which is a good thing.
So, keep drinking good quality water to keep illnesses at bay.