Cheap road to much better health.

[Fielder 3,736]

" significantly lower risk of developing chronic diseases, a lower risk of dying early or lower risk of being biologically older than your chronological age"

Decades long study involving tens of thousands of people. Very significant improvement in 3 different things: disease prevention, long life, and looking/feeling old.  And it's easy for most people and cheap: drink lots of water every day. 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/02/health/hydration-disease-aging-death-risk-study-wellness/index.html

[martin-w 3,258]

Interesting but would need to be replicated by several studies.

And it's not "lots of water" it's enough fluids, enough hydration. And that fluid intake can come from the foods we eat too. 

 

[charliearon 3,041]

The author's name must be I,P, Freely! 🤔

[dmwalker 612]

Just drink when you feel thirsty. That's how the human body is supposed to work, isn't it? Your body will let you know when it needs more water.

[birdguy 3,956]

I second Fielders article.  And, Dugald, I think that your body tells you that you haven't been getting enough fluids by the time you feel thirsty.

My doctor tells me to drink at least 7 to 8 glasses of water a day.  I do a bit more than that but it's not all water.  It's a lot of fluids.

I start the day off with a cup of coffee generally nursed for an hour between 6 and 7 AM.

At 7 o'clock I squeeze a half fresh lemon into a half glass of hot water.

At 7:30 I make my breakfast.  It's my main meal of the day and includes a half glass of vegetable juice and a large cup of tea.

After breakfast I have a half cup of tea left and mix it with whatever coffee is left in the pot.  It usually adds up to a cup of what's called 'dirty tea' and I heat it in the microwave.

By 10:00 the dirty tea is gone and for the rest of the day and night I drink plain water.  Between 4 and 5 full glasses.

The cup and glasses each hold 12 ounces of fluid.

I never wait until I get thirsty.  I always have a cup or glass of some fluid beside me all day long.

I cap off the day with a half wineglass of red wine before going to bed.  I alternate between  Barefoot sweet red wine blend (California) and Riunite Lumbrusco (Italy).

And yes, throughout the day my nickname could be I P Freely.  But I almost never have to get up in the middle of the night to P Freely.

Noel

 

 

Edited January 3, 2023 by birdguy

[mwilk 1,107]

Does beer count? Beer has water in it.🤣

[birdguy 3,956]

15 minutes ago, mwilk said:

Does beer count? Beer has water in it.

However, since beer is nearly 95% water (depending on the style) it can be confusing whether it is hydrating or not. Full-strength beer does not add to your water intake. Beer increases urine production which results in a net loss of water. Low and no alcohol beers are better than full strength but usually do not add to your daily water intake.

Noel

[dave2013 1,149]

I have always thought that the recommendation to drink 8-12 glasses of water per day is exaggerated. 

Note this sentence in the article: "The study didn’t have information on how much water participants drank."  The researchers only assume that higher sodium levels directly correlates with drinking less water.

This is similar to the claims regarding Statin drugs which lower cholesterol levels.  The studies show that the chance of a heart attack or stroke is actually reduced by only about 1% for those taking the drugs.  So, although they do lower cholesterol, they don't actually improve your chances of avoiding heart disease by very much. Those drugs sure make a lot of money, though.  I could cite many other examples.

It is my belief that some people win the genetic lottery and some don't, and no matter what you do, you cannot change your biological fate very much.  Yes, a healthy lifestyle can reduce one's chances of disease and increase lifespan, but ultimately it's our extremely complex physiological makeup that determines our fate.  You can eat blueberries and drink a little glass of red wine and 10 glasses of water every day, and it might help you live a little bit longer, but ultimately it makes little difference.  Just my opinion, but based on a lot of anecdotal evidence.

Dave

 

[W2DR 1,860]

59 minutes ago, mwilk said:

Does beer count? Beer has water in it.🤣

Indeed yes.  It absolutely does. Beer is 90-95% water. I recommend 10-12 per day to keep feeling good. Cheers........

Edited January 3, 2023 by W2DR

[dmwalker 612]

8 to 12 cups of tea would be acceptable.

[mwilk 1,107]

1 hour ago, birdguy said:

However, since beer is nearly 95% water (depending on the style) it can be confusing whether it is hydrating or not. Full-strength beer does not add to your water intake. Beer increases urine production which results in a net loss of water. Low and no alcohol beers are better than full strength but usually do not add to your daily water intake.

Noel

Well, you are absolutely no fun. Pretty much a killjoy!😄

[birdguy 3,956]

1 hour ago, dave2013 said:

You can eat blueberries and drink a little glass of red wine and 10 glasses of water every day, and it might help you live a little bit longer, but ultimately it makes little difference.

A littlebit longer makes a huge difference at my age.  If I make it into my 90s (less than ayear away now) that's a huge milestone. 

 

1 hour ago, dave2013 said:

It is my belief that some people win the genetic lottery and some don't, and no matter what you do, you cannot change your biological fate very much

I totally agree.

I was the firstborn.  My little brother came two and a half years after me.  I hogged all the good genes when I was in the womb and left him precious few.  I feel a bit guilty about that.

He died a year ago at age 86.  He had blood cancer and dementia and was susceptible to colds and headaches.  He was in a nursing home and that unmentionable disease got him.

As for me I am in great shape from the knees up.  While I have arthritic feet and a balance problem and need a cane or walker to get around with I'm in pretty good shape.  I almost never get colds or headaches.  My pulse rate runs in the 60s and my systolic BP runs from 120 to 130.  Sometimes lower.   I have a lung exercise device I was given when I was hospitalized a few years ago with a pulmonary embolism.  I can still inhale 2 1/2 liters of air.

After my PE I was referred to a cardiologist who gave me a chemical stress test.  He thought I might have blocked arteries.  He ran a scope up my wrist to check them out and said it was a false alarm.  My arteries were clean.  And I'm a red meat, butter and eggs guy.

So I think that all points to the importance of genes.  Either you have good ones or bad ones.  It's a roll of the dice.  

I probably don't have to take in all the fluids I do, but why not?  It's no imposition.  And I think it's better to over hydrate than under hydrate.

And Leon.  If you are reading this over my shoulder, I'm sorry I took all the good genes.  It was purely unintentional.

Noel

 

[Fielder 3,736]

Yes, genes are a roll of the dice. But in this large study the genetic makeup evened out between the light liquid drinkers and the heavy liquid drinkers. The heavy liquid drinkers live longer, have a more youthful body for more years, and have fewer diseases. I'm not willing to bet my life that my genes will somehow save me. 

[Mgard78 141]

11 hours ago, charliearon said:

The author's name must be I,P, Freely! 🤔

it's actually P. A. Lot. 

[martin-w 3,258]

There are such things as longevity genes, its true. We know that. But yes, diet and lifestyle does play a significant role. The research of Doctor David Sinclair and others is reveling some very interesting results. We are learning much more about the gut microbiome too and how important it is for our health and longevity. In fact the bugs that live symbiotically with us, if weighed, are about the weight of our brains. 😲

Exercise and diet can add significantly to our lifespans.

The Zoe Podcast with Tim Spector is well worth a watch, for the latest scientific finding in this field.

Not to mention anything with David Sinclair, in regard to activating the sirtuin longevity genes. Seems the guys and girls here in Guernsey that swim in the very chilly ocean, in the winter months, not to mention those who like Saunas, are on to something regarding health and longevity. Both stressors activate the sirtuins. 

Regarding the drinking 8 glasses or water a day, nobody really knows where this came from, in certainly wasn't based on research. Dehydration is bad, and over hydration is pointless. If your urine colour is light and you don't feel thirsty, you should be hydrated. I'm not referring to the research cited at the top of this thread of course, it needs to be replicated before we should take it too seriously. 

 

 

 

Edited January 4, 2023 by martin-w