7 Evidence-based Health Benefits Of Drinking Water

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

7 evidence-based health benefits of drinking water

The human body is 60% water. In order not to experience health problems, scientists advise drinking 8 glasses of water a day. This is a well-grounded recommendation, since a person needs water in order to live.

7 evidence-based health benefits:

1. Water helps improve physical performance
2. The brain needs water
3. Water helps relieve headaches
4. Water helps fight constipation
5. Water prevents kidney stones from forming
6. Water can help relieve hangovers
7. Water helps you lose weight

Water helps improve physical performance

If a person suffers from dehydration, then his performance decreases. Therefore, it is so important to get enough fluid during heavy physical exertion and during sports.

It is enough to lose only 2% of water to fully experience the symptoms of dehydration. Some athletes during training spend up to 10% of its reserves in the body. It may be dangerous. Therefore, no professional trainer will allow a person into the gym who does not have a bottle of water with him.

The higher the fluid loss, the more the person gets tired. It will be difficult for him to engage in both physical and mental labor ^[1]. Therefore, it is necessary to replenish water reserves in the body regularly. This rule is especially true with increased physical activity.

The brain needs water

Studies show that it is enough to lose 1 to 3% of fluid for the brain to begin to perform its functions worse.

For example, in women, mood worsens, concentration of attention decreases, headaches occur. Such symptoms appear when the body is dehydrated by 1.4% ^[2].

In men who have lost about 1.6% of fluid, fatigue increases, an unmotivated feeling of anxiety appears, and memory deteriorates ^[3].

It should be noted that it is very easy to lose 1-3% of water even while doing familiar things, for example, when cleaning an apartment. Naturally, exercise or increased body temperature leads to an even higher percentage of dehydration ^{[4] [5]}.

Water helps relieve headaches

There is scientific evidence that dehydration can cause headaches ^[6]. A small experiment in the United States found that water does not help completely cope with migraines. However, the use of pure water can reduce its duration and intensity ^[7].

Water helps fight constipation

It is no secret to anyone that a lack of fluid in the body can cause problems with the digestive system ^[8]. Therefore, with constipation, you need to drink as much water as possible. This rule applies to people of different ages, including children.

Studies show that in terms of combating constipation, drinking soda is beneficial. Although an explanation for this fact has not yet been found ^{[9] [10]}.

Water prevents kidney stones from forming

Urolithiasis is a common pathology. Stones can form in both children and adults. Errors in the drinking regime are one of the reasons for their appearance. It has been proven that the more a person drinks water, the less likely stones will form in his urinary system ^[11].

The fluid passing through the kidneys reduces the concentration of minerals that have the ability to transform into crystals and large calculi. Therefore, with a tendency to urolithiasis, it is imperative to drink as much water as possible.

Water can help relieve hangovers

Drinking alcohol in high doses always leads to such an unpleasant phenomenon as a hangover. Alcoholic drinks have a diuretic effect. Therefore, every meal leads to dehydration.

Dehydration is not the main cause of a hangover, but drinking pure water helps the body to overcome this unpleasant condition faster. The more a person drinks water, the better he feels. It helps relieve dry mouth, thirst, fatigue and headache ^[12].

Experts recommend drinking at least one glass of water during the feast. Be sure to take the same amount of fluid before bed.

Water helps you lose weight

To lose weight, you need to drink as much water as possible. It mutes the feeling of hunger and speeds up metabolic processes in the body. It has been experimentally proven that drinking 0.5 liters of water helps to accelerate metabolism by 30%. The effect lasts for 1.5 hours. Scientists have calculated that 2 liters of water consumed per day helps to lose up to 100 kcal ^[13].

In order to sit down at the table with a feeling of fullness, you need to drink water half an hour before meals. Thanks to water, a person consumes less food. Scientists decided to test this theory. It was noticed that people who drank 0.5 liters of water before meals lost weight faster. The control group participants lost weight more slowly (the difference was 44%). The study lasted 3 months ^[14].

Scientists claim that cold water helps to lose weight. In this case, the body will spend more energy in order to heat it.

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Article author: Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich | d. m. n. therapist

Education: Moscow Medical Institute. IM Sechenov, specialty - "General Medicine" in 1991, in 1993 "Occupational Diseases", in 1996 "Therapy".