Is drinking a lot of water good: The answer from an expert will make many people think again

Water is an indispensable drink on hot summer days. Drinking too little or too much water causes unnecessary harm to health.

Drinking too much water causes poisoning

Many people now have the opinion that drinking a lot of water will help the body to purify and detoxify well and thereby improve overall health. However, according to Dr. Luu Lien Huong, Deputy Director of VIAM Research Center – Vietnam Institute of Applied Medicine, drinking too little or too much water has bad effects on health.

In the case of drinking too much water compared to the needs of the body will cause water poisoning. The kidneys of young people are capable of filtering about half a liter of water per hour. Drinking too much water compared to the filtering capacity of the kidneys causes poisoning.

“Drinking too much water in a short time can be dangerous because it can lead to low sodium levels in the blood. This condition, called hyponatremia, is very serious and can be fatal.

Sodium helps balance the amount of water in and out of your cells. Drinking too much water will cause an imbalance, causing water to pass from the blood into the cells, causing the cells to swell. The swelling of brain cells is very dangerous and requires immediate treatment, “Mr. Huong said.

Ms. Huong also recommended that the symptoms of hyponatremia caused by drinking a lot of water are quite similar to the symptoms of heat stroke and exhaustion. The victim may feel hot, have a headache, or just feel uncomfortable.

Other early symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea. If not treated immediately, water intoxication can quickly lead to cerebral edema, convulsions, and coma.

How good to drink water?

Master Huong said that drinking water for good health should strictly follow the needs of the body. According to the proposal, the water requirement is calculated according to weight, age, and physical activity level.

Physically active adults need about 40ml/kg, not physically active need about 35ml/kg; People over 55 years old need about 30ml/kg.
The best summer beverage should still be cooled boiled water, which is the main source of additional water.

You can add some water such as fresh fruit juice without sugar (orange, tangerine, grapefruit, cucumber, apple…), vegetable juice (bean, zucchini, Centella Asiatica…), bean milk Soybean without sugar, boiled vegetable juice…

Ms. Huong recommends that summer refreshments are not recommended with the following types of water:

Mineral water contains substances such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, so it must be used at the right time, for the right audience, not used indiscriminately. Minerals, when accumulated in the body, will cause heart rhythm disturbances, increased blood pressure, and edema.

– Carbonated soft drinks should not be drunk because they can cause overweight and obesity, or bloating, anorexia in children.

Drinking carbonated soft drinks can not cool down, but also makes the drinker more irritable, headaches, and have muscle pain.

– Industrial fruit juices have a lot of sugar. Low mineral and vitamin content are not good for health. Drinking a lot of these types of water also leads to overweight and obesity.

– Coffee and energy drinks should not be used for summer refreshments.

Alcohol and beer increase urine output and put the body at risk of dehydration.

Nguồn: Báo Tri Thức Trẻ