It is good to drink 2 or 3 liters of water a day for health
Water is the most abundant component of the human body (60% of the body weight of an adult). The body does not have the ability to retain water, so we must drink the water we lose daily since, without water we would die in a few days. As usual, a healthy person needs between 2 and 3 liters of water a day, which can (fruits, vegetables and vegetables), and which we produce within the body itself.
Good maintenance of or replenishing the fluids we lose is essential for good health. The main functions of water in our body are:
- Transport the nutrients inside cells.
- Helps eliminate toxic elements.
- Participate in the digestive processes.
- It intervenes in the articular structures improving the damping
- Participates in the regulation of body temperature.
- Represents the 91,5% of blood plasma.
Now the individual needs of each person They depend on many factors: body weight, age, temperature, humidity of the area where you live, whether or not you suffer from pathologies with increased water needs ...
How does our body lose water?
Water is lost daily through breathing, through the feces (gastrointestinal system), of the urine (kidneys) and perspiration and sweating (skin).
For example, the average body water loss is 2.6 liters:
- Kidneys: 1.5 liters.
- Airways: 0.4 liters.
- gastrointestinal system: 0.2 liters.
- Skin: 0.5 liters.
In addition, the lifestyle, personal conditions and environmental conditions They will mark the water needs of each person. One person may urinate more than another, thus increasing water needs, just as hot and humid environments cause more water to be lost.
The water needs are regulated by the feeling thirsty, hormonal mechanisms (via antidiuretic hormone) and mechanisms of concentration and dilution renal. The excretion of water through the kidneys is inverse to the state of hydration, if the organism detects hydration, the water is conserved and one urinates less, and if there is excess, one urinates more.
Is it bad for your health to drink too much water?
Excess fluids do not usually cause hyperhydration, as long as the pituitary gland, kidneys and heart are working properly. In spite of this, if the episodes are repetitive and sustained, potomania can end up causing the components of the blood to be diluted and to produce a imbalance in electrolyte concentration.
The hyponatremia It is a serious consequence that can appear in case of potomania and consists in that the organism concentrates a very low amount of sodium in the blood (less than 120 mEq / l). Severe hyponatremia imcalls for the normal function of the brain, muscles, organs and metabolism. The result can cause nausea, headaches, lethargy, seizures, and coma.
Potomania: drinking excess water
Potomania is a concept used to describe the ddesire to binge drink large amounts of water without a prior feeling of thirst. Potomania is usually caused by psychiatric imbalances, since usually Eating Disorders are related to psychological problems and / or personality disorders.
But anyone who drink more than 6 liters consciously must go to, to detect other types of disorders, for example:
- Hormonal disorders that can affect the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus It is a brain region responsible for emitting the signal to "be thirsty." Therefore, an alteration in the working mechanism of the hypothalamus could cause episodes of potomania.
- Organic disorders or hormonal pathologies, such as diabetes mellitus, one of whose main symptoms is polydipsia or excess thirst.
- Having kidney disease
- Anorexia nervosa used to fill oneself without ingesting caloric foods.
The treatment it will depend on the cause that causes potomania, although a common characteristic will be reduce water consumption to 1-1.5 liters a day and perhaps a diuretic to increase the excretion of water and increasing the intake of sodium.
- A healthy person needs between 2 and 3 liters of water a day, which can be obtained through food, the fluids that we ingest and that we produce within the body itself.
- Potomania is a disorder in which you can consume more than seven liters of water a day. It is usually caused by psychiatric imbalances, since eating disorders are usually related to psychological problems and / or personality disorders.
- But if a person is aware that he drinks more than 6 liters of water a day, he must go to the endocrinologist to rule out other types of problems.
Diploma in Human Nutrition and Dietetics Master in Pediatric Nutrition and Sports Nutrition
(Updated at Apr 14 / 2024)