Staying Hydrated is Important as We Age

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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