With all the meds I am on, it is not unusual for my doctor to admonish me for not drinking enough water.  (They all require me to be hydrated for their optimal performance.) Generally, I drink about 3 or 4 liters a day- but I also add flavoring to some of the water, since I find it boring to drink plain water.  (No fizz, just flavoring.  Fizz can negate the benefits of water for hydration.)

I don’t have elevated serum sodium (a situation that many of us older adults encounter, which is an indication of inadequate fluid intake.)  One should note that lower fluid intake is also associated with diabetes, kidney function decline- even some chronic diseases.

This concept has been taken even further by four researchers at the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (part of the NIH, National Institutes of Health), who published their results in the European Heart Journal.

Drs. N Dmitrieva, D Liu, CO Wu, and M Boehm examined data from 15,752 middle aged adults (45 to 66 y of age) who were enrolled in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study for some 25 y.  Serum sodium was the surrogate measurement used to discern subject hydration for this study (as opposed to asking the folks how much water they drank daily.) .  Speed of aging was calculated using biological age, age-dependent biomarkers, as well as  risks for chronic diseases and premature mortality.

Even though normal sodium levels range from 135 to 145mMol/L, the researchers found that those subjects whose serum sodium was > 142 mMol/L increased the risk to present chronic diseases  (heart failure, diabetes, dementia, peripheral vascular disease, stroke, and atrial fibrillation)  by some 39%.  These subjects were also likely to manifest vastly older biological age compared to their chronological age.   When the serum sodiuṁ level climbed to 144 mMol/L, premature mortality risk rose by 21%.

Y’all ready to start getting those 8 glasses of water imbibed yet?

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