Does Drinking Water Prevent Heart Failure?

Consuming sufficient amounts of fluids throughout life not only supports essential body functioning but may also prevent heart failure risk.

Staying well-hydrated may be associated with a reduced risk of developing heart failure, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health. Their findings appear in the European Heart Journal.

Heart failure is a chronic condition that develops when the heart does not pump enough blood for the body’s needs and affects more than 6.2 million Americans, a little more than 2% of the population. It is also more common among adults ages 65 and older.

Congestive Heart Failure (Congestive Cardiac Failure) Current Management
Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a condition in which the heart fails to work adequately as a pump that can deliver oxygen rich blood to the body.

‘Serum sodium and fluid intake can easily be assessed in clinical exams and help doctors identify patients who may benefit from learning about ways to stay hydrated.’

“Similar to reducing salt intake, drinking enough water and staying hydrated are ways to support our hearts and may help reduce long-term risks for heart disease,” said Natalia Dmitrieva, PhD, the lead study author and a researcher in the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of NIH.

After conducting preclinical research that suggested connections between dehydration and cardiac fibrosis, a hardening of the heart muscles, Dmitrieva and researchers looked for similar associations in large-scale population studies.

To start, they analyzed data from more than 15,000 adults, ages 45 to 66, who enrolled in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study between 1987 and 1989 and shared information from medical visits over 25 years.

Drugs Causing Low Blood Sodium Levels / Hyponatremia
Many drugs can lower your blood sodium levels or hyponatremia. Low blood sodium symptoms are associated with salt level in blood and causes of hyponatremia are decrease in sodium and water content.

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.

Approximately 11,814 adults were included in the final analysis, and, of those, the researchers found 1,366 (11.56%) later developed heart failure.

Drinking Water Helps Prevent Heart Failure
Drinking sufficient water and staying well-hydrated could reduce the risk of developing heart failure, reveals a new study.

To assess potential links with hydration, the team assessed the hydration status of the participants using several clinical measures.

Looking at levels of serum sodium, which increases as the body’s fluid levels decrease, was especially useful in helping to identify participants with an increased risk for developing heart failure.

Black Coffee May Help Reduce Heart Failure Risk
Good news to coffee lovers. Drinking caffeinated black coffee everyday is associated with reduced heart failure risk.

It also helped identify older adults with an increased risk for developing both heart failure and left ventricular hypertrophy, an enlargement and thickening of the heart.

A randomized, controlled trial will be necessary to confirm these preliminary findings, the researchers said. However, these early associations suggest good hydration may help prevent or slow the progression of changes within the heart that can lead to heart failure.

While fluid guidelines vary based on the body’s needs, researchers recommended a daily fluid intake of 6 to 8 cups (1.5–2.1 liters) for women and 8 to 12 cups (2–3 liters) for men.

Source-Medindia