What is Dehydration , “Water! Water, have no taste, no color, no smell …
Billions of years ago, life on earth originated in water and continues to depend on it to this day, and this is no accident. It is abundant on our planet, its low freezing temperature and high boiling point are of great importance. For millions of years, water has provided extremely suitable temperature conditions, thanks to which living systems have “had a chance” to survive and evolve. Each organism carries a small sea – on average about 75% of the mass of a living cell is water (blood is 83% water, muscles – 75% water, brain contains 74% water and bones – 22%).
It is known that the amount of fluids varies with our age, and our body is such that it does not allow long storage of poets, which requires their constant supply. Infants should consume between 120 and 135 ml of fluids per kilogram of body weight, ie about 655 ml per day. In general, babies dehydrate faster than adults because water evaporates more easily from their skin. In children one year of age, the need to drink is reduced, although they drink more. Thus, the average value reaches 92 ml per kilogram, or 920 ml per day.
By the age of 12, the need for fluid intake decreases further – up to 580 ml per day. The elderly person needs 2.5 liters of water per day (ie about 8 glasses of water). Taking at least 8 glasses a day reduces the risk of kidney stones, it is also valuable in the fight against other infections of the genital system in both men and women – the water expels toxins from the body.
It is the purest natural drink and one of the few gifts of nature, which contains absolutely no calories, which makes it the perfect ally of any diet. It is a well-known fact that during a diet, good hydration is a must to speed up cell metabolism, especially on a low-carb diet, when more fluids are a must. You probably already guess that in order to maintain a normal rhythm of life, you need a sufficient intake of fluids, otherwise we risk our body to be dehydrated.
Table of Contents
What is dehydration?
Dehydration is a biochemical process in which water is removed from a substance and it is dried. Every body needs water and constant hydration. In humans, dehydration is a common phenomenon characterized by certain symptoms. It occurs when the body does not receive the required amount of fluid. Other causes of dehydration include intense exercise, profuse sweating, fever, exhaustion or heat stroke.
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People with mild dehydration of 1% (750 ml to 1 liter) may experience thirst, dry mouth, nervousness, muscle weakness.
- Moderate to severe dehydration, where water loss is up to 2-3% of body weight, can cause orthostatic hypotension (dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting when standing up), muscle cramps due to a decrease in calcium and magnesium in the blood.
- Prolonged and severe dehydration usually leads to shock, kidney failure, confusion, acidosis, coma and even death. Athletes, addicted smokers and people whose work exposes them to the sun for too long are particularly at risk of dehydration.
Dehydration and sports
If you love sports and sports are an important part of your life, then your body needs the “right food” and the right amount of fluids to ensure maximum results and reward you for your efforts. Drinking water (purified and especially mineral which contains important minerals for our body, such as magnesium and calcium) is one of the main aspects for better body function, because during exercise a large amount of fluid is lost and dehydration of the body makes it difficult to perform physical activity. more than 4-5% of body weight, it leads to 20-30% less training efficiency.
Experience has shown that drinking water in athletes reduces cardiovascular stress and improves results. Water lowers body temperature, making training more effective and much safer. During exercise it is recommended to drink one or more glasses of water every 15-20 minutes, this amount depends on the air temperature (even in cold weather, because then sweating is less, but increased urine production) , the weight of the trainee and the intensity of the workout.
It is very important to know how much fluid you need. This can be done by weighing yourself before and after a workout, thus taking into account the loss of fluids from your body. Replacing water with soft drinks, coffee or tea is not recommended because they increase diuresis and increase the risk of dehydration. In general, the loss of even just 2% of body water through sweating can lead to dehydration. It would be good for the water to be taken at room temperature and in small quantities, because cold water is absorbed faster than warm water, which in turn removes the feeling of thirst faster and can mislead the athlete.
Recently, the so-called “sports drinks” have become very popular. For an athlete who has a well-balanced diet and the food he eats meets the needs of his body, these sports drinks would be superfluous. are an alternative to water because the salt and sugar they contain (usually 6 g of carbohydrates per 100 ml of fluid) help the body to adapt more quickly to its fluid balance, as well as help to obtain much-needed glycogen.
However, it is not recommended to consume such drinks containing more than 10 g of carbohydrates per 100 ml of liquid, because they dehydrate the body even more, as well as Coca-Cola and drinks containing caffeine.
Diuretics – banned drugs in sports
Another very serious problem is the use of diuretics as masking agents. It is these substances that are the reason for the scandal at the Sydney Olympics with the Bulgarian weightlifters in 2000, because with their help it is easier to remove some banned ingredients in the body and for this reason they have been declared doping. Their presence in the blood could be a signal to hide illicit drugs (accelerated “cleansing” of the body).
Diuretics have the ability to increase the production and excretion of urine (up to 6 liters per day) and are often used by athletes to quickly reduce their body weight. Urinary fluid loss caused by drug-induced diuresis can lead to intravascular depletion. Excessive diuretic therapy usually leads to dehydration and hypokalaemia (it very often causes neurological disorders and cardiac arrhythmias, and sometimes heart failure, muscle weakness and muscle cramps).
The reason for abusing diuretics in sports is the regulation of body weight (boxing, weightlifting) and shaping the relief of the muscles (bodybuilding). Unlike patients, athletes do not retain excess fluids and therefore the use of diuretics leads to inadequate and dangerous loss of water and electrolytes.
Side effects of diuretics:
- dehydration
- hypovolemia
- headache
- nausea
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muscle cramps, decreased muscle work
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kidney damage
- impaired uric acid metabolism, which can cause an attack of gout
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excessive weight loss
- low blood pressure
- systemic alkalosis
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transient deafness due to low blood sugar (furosemide, ethacrynic acid) and exacerbation of diabetes (thiazides).
“For!” Intake of more fluids, because …
- disturbances in water homeostasis very often lead to depressive states. Studies show that the amino acid tryptophan, which is a source of the happiness hormone serotonin, is transported to the brain when there is enough water. While impaired metabolism may lead to increased degradation of these mediators.
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lack of water in the body can lead to digestive disorders. Water is known to be a major component of gastric and intestinal juices, and its lack impairs digestion and absorption, increases excess gas and suppresses appetite. In addition, in conditions of dehydration, a delay in emptying the stomach is found, which is associated with more irritation of the mucous membrane. To optimize the function of the gastrointestinal tract, doctors recommend consuming water before and after meals.
- Another aspect of intestinal tract involvement is chronic constipation. In the large intestine, the main absorption of water from the intestinal contents takes place, and its deficiency makes defecation difficult and painful, creating conditions for the formation of fissures, hemorrhoids and chronic inflammation of the colon.
- in dehydration there is an increase in the level of histamine – a neurotransmitter involved in water-salt metabolism. Histamine is an important component in the pathogenesis of allergic conditions and therefore allergic manifestations of the body are associated with insufficient hydration.
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the skin also has a secretory function, as sweat plays a significant role in the excretion of toxic waste products. In conditions of dehydration, however, this happens at the expense of the strong concentration of sweat, which irritates the skin. This can cause eczema. Here the main signs of dehydration are the reduction of skin turgor and drying of the mucous membranes.
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the maintenance of water – salt homeostasis depends most strongly on the functional state of the kidneys. When water intake is limited, there is a concentration of urine, which is a prerequisite for the formation of kidney stones. Favorable conditions for urinary tract infections can be created.
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very often behind the abundant diet is nothing but thirst. Not infrequently, instead of liquids, a person chooses to quench his thirst with foods high in water. But unfortunately, along with the necessary fluids, a lot of calories are taken in. And this is no accident – sometimes the brain center reacts slowly to fluid loss, which causes the feeling of thirst to appear with a delay – after the loss has exceeded 2% of total body weight.
- last but not least is the role of water in the aging process. Its percentage decreases in direct proportion to age, which underlies one of the theories of aging. Therefore, premature aging can be prevented by adequate water consumption.
In conclusion, we can summarize that in order to maintain a normal amount of water in the body, it is necessary for our day to start and end with a glass of water – the obligatory prevention against dehydration.
Sources used :
- wikipedia.com
- doping-prevention.com
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Chemistry of Medicinal Products ”Part 1, Professor . Kalcheva
