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Dr. Mark Kestner: Secret to staying healthier and living longer is water




New Kestner mug

New Kestner mug

How much would you spend to stay young, active, healthy and vital?

For many over the age of 40, the amount they are willing to spend on promises of these attributes is increasing each year. Desperation to hang on to the benefits of health and youth drives us to increase our willingness to part with our resources including money and time if we are promised these things.

What if it turns out that the secret to staying young and healthy is actually quite inexpensive?

Recent study indicates drinking enough water leads to longer, healthier lives with less disease.

How’s that for a headline? Hydration (drinking enough water) has been linked to good health for decades. Now a recent study confirms that people that stayed more positively hydrated lived longer and had less chronic disease.

(After writing that line I decided to actually stop writing and get a bottle of water. You should, too!)

This study and many like it suggest that the “Fountain of Youth” is … simply a fountain. It’s water!

 

 

Many patients ask me. “How much water should I drink?” My answer is always, “More.”

Unless you are already very conscientiously drinking multiple glasses of water in an effort to stay hydrated, you probably need more water.

Is it possible to drink too much water? Absolutely. It is possible and can be dangerous to drink too much, but that is unlikely. Read the paragraphs below to see how much is “enough.”

The study, called Middle-age high normal serum sodium as a risk factor for accelerated biological aging, chronic diseases, and premature mortality was published in eBioMedicine, part of the medical journal Lancet publishing group, just last week.

Notice that the researchers measure sodium levels in the blood (serum sodium) as a way to monitor the study subjects. As the amount of water that you drink decreases, the levels of sodium in your blood go up. The results of elevated sodium associated with insufficient hydration are as indicated; accelerated aging, more chronic disease and dying earlier.

In simpler terms, failure to drink enough water will lead to more disease, aging faster and an earlier death.

That statement could not be any plainer. To enjoy more healthy vitality and a longer life, drink enough water. Every day. From now on.

Staying hydrated helps nearly everything that most people care about regarding their health and vitality.

Staying hydrated reduces chronic pain. This is one of the more common (almost universal) findings we observe with our patients that have chronic pain. They are dehydrated. One step toward improving their pain is to drink more water.

If we have a patient that is not responding as well as they should to the treatments we provide, we often discover they are not drinking enough water.

Water is inexpensive. It is not difficult to obtain. Why would a person not drink enough water?

There are as many reasons for this as there are people. Habit is a big factor. We just get busy or occupied and forget to drink water.

Some patients tell me they don’t like the taste of water. That can be a factor due to many circumstances. Most tap water tastes terrible. Filtering the water with a charcoal filter helps greatly. For many people, adding lemon juice or added flavoring helps. Bottled water delivery services are popular and worth the expense if it helps you drink enough water.

What about coffee or tea, does that count? When this question was asked years ago, the answer was a negative due to concern about the fact that coffee and teas cause excess urination and that can lead to less hydration. However, more recently experts conclude that it is reasonable to count coffee and tea as hydration intake.

Here are some of the remarkable findings from the study. First, the study was broad and deep. It evaluated data from more than 11,000 subjects ages 45-66, male and female, black and white, over a span of 25 years. The study evaluated risk and prevalence of chronic conditions including heart attacks, strokes, chronic lung disease, dementia and others.

In their conclusion, the researchers included this statement, “In summary, our study shows that people whose fasting serum sodium exceeds 142 mmol/l have increased risk to be biologically older, develop chronic diseases, and die at a younger age.”

This study was a large, well-done study. The conclusion could not be any clearer. Drinking enough water is critical to our health, well-being and longevity.

Back to the question of “How much is enough?”

Recommendations vary, but generally the recommended levels are 2-3 quarts of water per day. Other recommendations are stated as for women, 6 to 9 cups of fluids each day, while men need around 8 to 12 cups. For people that live or work in more warm environments, or are more active, the need may be greater.

Drink up friends, we will all live longer and enjoy it more.

Dr. Mark Kestner is a licensed chiropractic physician and acupuncturist with 30-plus years of experience focused primarily on treating complex and chronic spine, joint and neurological conditions in Murfreesboro. His office is at 1435 NW Broad St. Contact him at mkestner@DrKestner.com.

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