In a new study from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, researchers found staying well hydrated throughout life could reduce the risk of developing heart failure.
The finding suggests that maintaining good hydration can prevent or at least slow down the changes within the heart that lead to heart failure.
Recommendations on daily fluid intake vary from 1.6 to 2.1 liters for women and 2 to 3 liters for men. However, worldwide surveys have shown that many people do not meet even the lower ends of these ranges.
Serum sodium is a precise measure of hydration status: when people drink less fluid, the concentration of serum sodium increases.
The body then attempts to conserve water, activating processes known to contribute to the development of heart failure.
In the study, the team examined whether serum sodium concentration in middle age, as a measure of hydration habits, predicts the development of heart failure 25 years later.
They also examined the connection between hydration and thickening of the walls of the heart’s main pumping chamber (left ventricle) – called left ventricular hypertrophy—which is a precursor to heart failure diagnosis.
The analysis was performed on 15,792 adults. Participants were 44 to 66 years old at recruitment and were evaluated over five visits until age 70 to 90.
The team found higher serum sodium concentration in midlife was linked to both heart failure and left ventricular hypertrophy 25 years later.
Serum sodium remained strongly linked to heart failure and left ventricular hypertrophy after adjusting for other factors related to the development of heart failure.
Every 1 mmol/l increase in serum sodium concentration in midlife was linked to 1.20 and 1.11 increased odds of developing left ventricular hypertrophy and heart failure, respectively, 25 years later.
The risks of both left ventricular hypertrophy and heart failure at age 70 to 90 began to increase when serum sodium exceeded 142 mmol/l in midlife.
The results suggest that good hydration throughout life may decrease the risk of developing left ventricular hypertrophy and heart failure.
In addition, serum sodium exceeding 142mmol/l increases the risk of adverse effects in the heart may help to identify people who could benefit from an evaluation of their hydration level.
The team says his sodium level is within the normal range and would not be labeled as abnormal in lab test results but could be used by physicians during regular physical exams to identify people whose usual fluid intake should be assessed.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about this common antibiotic drug linked to higher heart attack risk and findings of these two food linked to higher risk of diabetes, stroke and heart disease.
For more information about heart disease, please see recent studies about this bone problem strongly linked to heart disease in women and results showing that this common health issue in middle-age may predict heart failure later in life.
The study was presented at ESC Congress 2021. One author of the study is Dr. Natalia Dmitrieva.
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