Have you set a New Year’s resolution yet? If not, you might want to consider making yours to drink more water this year.
A new study highlighted just how important it is to drink water. Not just for your current health, but down the road too. The study found proper hydration can slow down aging and lower your risk of chronic diseases.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) looked at serum sodium data from 11,000 people over 30 years. A normal level is between 135 to 146 milliequivalents per liter. That number increases when we drink less fluids.
According to the study, those at the high end of the range had 10 to 15% higher chance of being biologically older than their chronological age compared to those on the lower end of the spectrum.
They also had a 64% higher risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart failure, stroke, diabetes and dementia. The study also found low serum sodium levels increased the risk of early death and faster aging.
Researchers did not have information on how much water participants drank. The National Academy of Medicine recommends drinking nine cups of water a day for women and 12.5 cups of water a day for men. About half of the global population does not meet those guidelines.
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