PARIS, Mar. 30 (Benin News) –
Researchers from the UK’s National Institutes of Health have found that staying well hydrated may be associated with a lower risk of developing heart failure, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal.
“Like reducing salt intake, drinking enough water and staying hydrated are ways to support our hearts and can help reduce the risk of heart disease in the long term,” the experts said.
After conducting preclinical research suggesting links between dehydration and cardiac fibrosis, a stiffening of heart muscles, researchers looked for similar associations in large-scale population studies. To begin, they analyzed data from more than 15,000 adults, aged 45 to 66, who participated in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC) between 1987 and 1989 and shared information from medical visits over a 25-year period.
In selecting participants for their retrospective review, the scientists focused on those whose hydration levels were within a normal range and who did not have diabetes, obesity or heart failure at the start of the study. . About 11,814 adults were included in the final analysis, and of these the researchers found that 1,366 (11.56%) later developed heart failure.
To assess possible links to hydration, the team assessed participants’ hydration status using several clinical measures. Examining serum sodium levels, which rise when body fluid levels drop, was found to be particularly useful in identifying participants at increased risk of developing heart failure.
It has also identified older people with an increased risk of developing both heart failure and left ventricular hypertrophy, that is, enlargement and thickening of the heart. “Serum fluid and sodium intake can be easily assessed during clinical exams and help clinicians identify patients who might benefit from knowing ways to stay hydrated,” the experts point out.
