Why is staying hydrated so important to healthy ageing? Staying hydrated is important at all ages,
but our bodies nutritional needs change as our bodies lack of sufficient
sustainable nutrients are less absorbed.
What I’m trying to say is as we age our bodies need a little more help
in adjusting to each phase of life and the ageing process. The truth is our body absorbs less than
before and we begin to feel the effects of ageing, something we have no control
over, but living a healthier lifestyle can actually slow down and delay what is
inevitable, growing old.
Now when I say staying hydrated I’m not talking about your
daily allowance of sodas, lemonades, fruity cocktails etc. I’m talking about drinking water, yes, plenty
of plain water or water with lemon just to add a little something. Water, is what I truly believe is the key to
the fountain of youth.
According to https://www.nestlenutrition-institute.org/Education/practical-tools/Documents/Waters_Senior_light_pages.pdf
Gradual ageing of the body is accompanied by several
changes, both physical and physiological.
The decline in lean body mass is accompanied by a decrease over time in
the percentage of water in the body. So,
the percentage of body weight made up of water falls from about 60% in adults
to about 50% in the elderly.
Age reduces the
sensation of thirst:
Seniors are more at risk of dehydration as the sensation of thirst
decreases with age, and their kidneys have decreased ability to concentrate
urine. The sensation of thirst allows
the body to realize that it lacks water.
Thus, when we feel thirsty, our body is already slightly
dehydrated. In seniors, the sensation of
thirst is decreasing, and therefore they are more at risk of becoming
dehydrated.
Age and impairment of
kidney function:
With age, the kidneys do not function as well and renal
ability to concentrate urine decreases.
In fact, between the ages of 30 and 80, there is often a 20 to 25% loss
of renal mass, the most of which is from the cortex. Other changes explain the difficulty which
kidneys have adapting urine concentration. When seniors are slightly dehydrated,
they can feel the onset of some physical signs: thirst of course, but also a
dry and sticky mouth, muscle weakness, headache, sleepiness or tiredness. So
it’s important to drink water regularly throughout the day, and to drink before
becoming thirsty.
Intestinal Comfort:
It is common knowledge that elderly people are affected by
problems with bowel movements and constipation. From Suares study, constipation
affects between 11% and 18% of the people according to geographical region. And
the prevalence of this disorder is even higher and older people. Constipation in the elderly has many
potential causes, including a reduced fluid intake, malnutrition, reduced fiber
intake, lack of physical activity, impaired mobility, side effect of
medication, an acute or chronic illness. Therefore, it is important to practice
regular exercise, healthy eating including fruits, vegetable, and whole grain
foods as sources of fiber, and maintaining an adequate fluid intake with fiber
consumption. The bulking effect of
fibers consists in retaining water.
Drinking enough water is a good habit.
Urinary Incontinence:
(Urinary incontinence
is a symptom or sign of any involuntary loss of urine. Continence (storage of urine) is maintained
when the urethral pressure is greater than the pressure inside the bladder itself
(intravesical pressure). Urinary
incontinence causes include structural changes in vesical muscle as well as
impaired neural control and age-related changes of the lower urinary tract.).
Urinary incontinence is a rather sensitive issue for women
and especially for senior women. In
fact, urinary incontinence affects about 19% of women aged 19 to 44 years, 25%
of those aged 45 to 64 years, and 30% of those aged 65 year and older.
Adopting healthy habits can bring a real relief:
*Drinking enough water throughout the day is important for
seniors to be well hydrated. A decrease
in fluid intakes may lead to urinary tract infections, constipation, or
dehydration.
*Maintaining normal weight though adulthood may be an
important factor in preventing the development of urinary incontinence
especially in women, because overweight increases the pressure on the bladder
and surrounding muscles.
*Prescribing some physical rehabilitation therapies with a
physiotherapist including musculation of the pelvic floor can also be useful
for initial management of urinary incontinence.
*It is also a good idea to go to the toilet regularly.
Drinking water helps to maintain water balance. Every day, water loss must be compensated by
sufficient intake of water. That is why
it is important to remain properly hydrated.
A healthy sedentary adult living in a temperate climate loses 2lto 3l of
water a day, mainly from urine. But
other vectors are also responsible for the body water loss: the skin, the
respiratory tract and, at a low lever, the digestive system. It is important to compensate those losses by
a sufficient water intake.
Our body produces water by metabolism and gets water from
food but this is not sufficient to fulfill the body needs. So an adult should drink on average, 1.5l of
water a day. With ageing, all parameters
of water metabolism undergo changes and so, the water balance evolves. Elderly people show lower non-renal water
losses (mainly due to lower sweat losses); at the same time renal concentration
capacity becomes impaired, resulting in an increased obligatory urine volume. Because eating habits are changing, the volume
of water obtained from food increases slightly with age whereas the metabolic
water decreases. So the water balance
remains nearly the same and the water intake recommendations can be maintained. But water input can be reduced due to the
diminution of the thirst sensation and appetite. Therefore it is important to keep a healthy habit
of drinking 1.5l the equivalent of 8 glasses of water regularly throughout the
day. The daily needs are even higher
when the outside temperature increases or when the inside temperature is
overheated.
Observing the color of urine is an easy and rapid way to
assess whether someone is properly hydrated.
If urine is dark-colord rather than pale yellow, it might mean you are
not drinking enough. One thing to keep
in mind, the urine color can be affected by certain foods, vitamin supplement
or medical treatment.
Stay hydrated out there!
Peace and health.
April
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