A continuous water supply is considered a health booster and beauty elixir. Under stress, however, this can become dangerous. FITBOOK explains.
Have you had enough to drink today? Many people have to remind themselves every day to drink enough fluids. Because water is essential for our body and you can never drink enough – or can you? FITBOOK explains whether – and if so, for whom – drinking too much water can be dangerous.
Why drinking water is so healthy and important
According to the «German Society for Nutrition eV» (DGE), an adult should drink around 1.5 liters throughout the day. It is best to take it with meals and also in between. It should not fall below 1.0 liters during the day, otherwise there is a risk of a water shortage. Because water fulfills many important functions in the body. For example, it contributes to temperature regulation, helps transport nutrients from food and transport breakdown products to the excretory organs. In addition, it is an important component of cells, helps the metabolism and ensures that the blood can flow. Water can also have positive effects on weight loss. Drinking a glass of water regularly before eating can even help you lose weight in the long run. Because the liquid fills the stomach, which causes a feeling of satiety faster.
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Can you drink too much water?
nutrition expert dr. dr Michael Despeghel gives the all-clear: “If you sit quietly and the body can excrete the fluid, nothing can happen.” A problem can only arise under physical stress: “For example, with a runner who has a water intake of four or five liters is exceeded, increased demineralization takes place.” This can lead to limitations, symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, tiredness and breathing difficulties can be the result. It becomes particularly dangerous with a potassium deficiency: «Then you end up in the intensive care unit,» says Despeghel. The kidneys can no longer process the liquid, the salt balance gets mixed up and the body is literally flooded. In the worst case, hyponatremia, also known as water intoxication, occurs. This fate befell extreme runner Sandra Wukovich at the Marathon des Sables, one of the toughest extreme races in the world.
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Hyponatremia – what happens with water intoxication?
Diplom-oecotrophologist Antje Gahl from the DGE explains what happens in what is known as water intoxication as follows: “In the case of hyponatraemia, the concentration of salt ions in the blood is lower. As a result, water is channeled into the cells (the intracellular space) and swells them.” There is a risk of death.
This is how dehydration manifests itself
Since our body excretes fluid through the kidneys, intestines, skin and lungs on a daily basis, it is important to replenish these losses in order to regulate the body’s natural water balance. Of course, this water loss can also be higher, depending on whether you sweat intensively through physical activity or high temperatures. But even with symptoms of illness such as fever, diarrhea and vomiting, the body loses more water than usual. The DGE then warns that an additional 0.5 to 1.0 liters of water may be needed to refill the water depot.
Dehydration can result in the following symptoms: dry skin, dark urine, constipation, headaches, and problems with concentration and circulation. In addition, according to the DGE, “you get tired quickly and have trouble concentrating. The body can no longer adequately excrete substances that are required in the urine and the supply of oxygen and nutrients to muscle and brain cells is restricted.”
We can absorb water not only through liquids, but also through solid food. A cucumber, for example, consists of almost 100 percent water. For a long time, coffee was considered a liquid thief. But there is an all-clear for all coffee lovers. Up to four cups a day is perfectly fine and won’t dehydrate a body accustomed to caffeine. On the contrary: The amount is normally added to the daily fluid intake.