People Who Drink Water Properly Are More Likely to Live a Long Life! The Older You Get, the More You Should Drink Water Regularly

People Who Drink Water Properly Are More Likely to Live a Long Life! The Older You Get, the More You Should Drink Water Regularly

Among numerous topics of health preservation, drinking water, seemingly an ordinary matter, actually contains great health secrets. Especially for the elderly, drinking water is closely related to a long life.

### Why Do We Need to Drink More Water as We Age?

As we grow older, our body functions gradually decline, and water metabolism faces many crises. On the one hand, from the perspective of the physiological dehydration mechanism, the salivary glands begin to atrophy, which increases the threshold for feeling dry mouth. We are no longer as sensitive to oral dryness as we were when we were young. At the same time, the kidney's concentrating function declines, and the urine osmotic pressure decreases by about 30%. This means that the kidney's ability to reabsorb water becomes weaker, and more water is excreted from the body through urine. Moreover, the rate of decrease in intracellular fluid is twice as fast as that of young people, which has a great impact on the normal function and vitality of cells.

On the other hand, the body's perception system is also degenerating. The sensitivity of the thirst center decreases by 40%. This leads to the situation that even when the body is already 2% dehydrated, there may still be no obvious thirst sensation. This lag in perception easily causes the elderly to ignore their own water needs, thus triggering dehydration problems.

In addition, drinking water plays a key role in self - regulating body temperature. Especially in winter, the air is dry, and water loss is more serious. Drinking water regularly at this time can prevent the body from further dehydration and maintain the normal physiological functions of the body. A Canadian study points out that the older a person is, the more water they need to drink to compensate for changes in body temperature regulation. Researchers have found that when the elderly exercise, their overall metabolism is slower than that of young people, and the "thirst center" in the hypothalamus becomes dull, so the brain cannot judge whether the body is thirsty in time, making the body prone to dehydration.

A 30 - year tracking study in the United States also shows that people with sufficient water intake have a slower decline in cardiovascular function and a significantly reduced risk of chronic diseases. Although the causal relationship between water intake and health still needs further verification, the idea that "sufficient water intake = health benefits" has become a common consensus in the medical community. From cell metabolism to blood circulation, from body temperature regulation to immune function, every physiological activity of the human body is inseparable from the participation of water. The latest research shows that scientific water intake can not only reduce the risk of chronic diseases but may also extend a healthy lifespan. For the elderly over 60 years old, researchers recommend maintaining a daily water intake of 1.5 to 2 liters, but it should be noted that excessive intake may also trigger potential diseases.

### Why Should We Drink Eight Glasses of Water Every Day?

According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, body fluids in the human body include blood and body fluids. Blood is the red liquid flowing in the blood vessels, mainly produced by the spleen and stomach transforming the essence of food and water. Body fluids, on the other hand, are the general term for all normal body fluids in the human body, covering the secretions of various tissues in the body, such as the mucus on the inner wall of body cavities, the fluids and their secretions of organs, such as the tears secreted by the eyes and the saliva secreted by the mouth. More than 65% of an adult's body is water. The human body is like a large water storage tank, providing a solid guarantee for maintaining normal metabolism.

The so - called eight glasses of water a day refers to the total amount of water intake (generally, the capacity of a glass is about 200 - 300 ml). According to the dietary guidelines of the Chinese Nutrition Society, men should drink more than 1700 ml of water per day, and women should drink 1500 ml. Of course, the actual water intake is not fixed. It is closely related to factors such as climate, exercise intensity, and physical constitution. For example, in summer, when the temperature is high and the body sweats a lot, the demand for water naturally increases; in autumn, when the climate is dry, the water intake also rises accordingly; people with high exercise intensity sweat a lot and need to drink more water. Therefore, we don't have to blindly limit our water intake to the fixed number of "eight glasses".

### Five Diseases Are Approaching with Long - Term Insufficient Water Intake

- **Constipation**: Insufficient water intake can easily lead to constipation. If the feces are not excreted in time, they will absorb the water in the intestines, causing the intestinal wall to become dry due to lack of water, thus aggravating the symptoms of constipation. People with constipation had better drink about 2 liters of water a day. When drinking water, try to swallow quickly so that the water can reach the colon as soon as possible to stimulate intestinal peristalsis. At the same time, pay attention to supplementing dietary fiber. Drinking a glass of high - fiber vegetable juice every day can help improve the constipation situation.

- **Kidney Stones**: Drinking less water increases the risk of kidney stones. Before the formation of kidney stones, there is a substance called renal crystal, which is the precursor of kidney stones. If there is too little water intake, the kidneys cannot be fully flushed, increasing the probability of kidney stone formation.

- **Gout**: When there is insufficient water in the human body, it will lead to an increase in uric acid or a decrease in its excretion. Urate is likely to deposit in joints, kidneys and other parts, thus forming gout.

- **Thrombosis**: Drinking too little water will increase the concentration of blood in the body, and the blood flow rate will slow down. Over time, it is easy to cause thrombosis, affecting the body's blood and oxygen supply.

- **Cancer**: A latest study in the United States shows that people who drink 2 glasses of water a day have a 40% higher risk of colon cancer than those who drink 5 glasses of water a day. For men, those who drink 2 glasses of water a day have a 50% higher risk of bladder cancer, prostate cancer, ureteral cancer and other cancers than those who drink 5 glasses of water a day.

Water, seemingly ordinary, is crucial to our health. Especially for the elderly, they should attach great importance to drinking water and develop scientific and reasonable drinking habits to lay a solid foundation for their health and longevity.