[Mb-civic] FW: Water effects aging

[Michael Butler]

Thanks to
------ Forwarded Message
From: Gerald Gerald <dekuyper at sbcglobal.net>
Date: Thu, 19 May 2005 13:06:23 -0700 (PDT)
To: Gerald Cooper <dekuyper at sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Water effects aging

Subject: WATER, AND HOW IT AFFECTS AGING

How many times have your heard "drink eight to ten
glasses of water 
everyday?" How often do we actually drink that much
pure water? Would you believe that as you are reading
this page you are dehydrating?

We were all born as grapes, but now we are turning
into raisins. Your 
body 
was once more than 70% water and now, if you're like
most Americans 
past the age of 40, you are lucky to have a hydration
level above 60%. The bodies of most hospitalized
elderly are less than 50% water.

Today, Americans consume more coffee and soft drinks
than water. These beverages, along with tea and
alcohol, are diuretics and dehydrate the body.

All the moisturizer in the world will not restore a
youthful 
appearance. By dehydrating your body you are actually
pulling a hundred times as much water out of your skin
through the urinary tract. Much worse than the skin
dehydrating, is the dehydration of the internal
organs, connective tissue and the brain.

Inadequate fluid intake and excess water loss can
disrupt critical cell function. Most people experience
this level of hydration all day, nearly everyday.
Water is essential for all anabolic repair functions,
and conversely, dehydration accelerates the aging
process.

A study at Fred Hutchinson Research Center in Seattle
found that women who drank two glasses of water a day
had nearly twice the risk of colon cancer than women
who drank four glasses a day. The few women who did
drink eight or more glasses of water a day had less
than half the risk of those who drank only four
glasses. The association of increased water intake may
also reduce the risk for other types of cancer. In one
study, the women who drank the most water were 80%
less likely to develop bladder cancer than women who
drank the least.

Other conditions that often respond to increased water
intake include 
the reduction of headaches, muscle aches, hangovers,
fatigue, constipation, and heartburn. Drinking enough
water will also reduce fluid retention and edema.

Sometimes it is difficult for people to understand
that drinking lots 
of water actually decreases water retention. If you
provide your body with ample amounts of pure water, it
will not have to retain water in the tissues

The body can become significantly dehydrated before we
actually feel 
thirsty.

In the morning, you have a true need for water, but
you may not feel 
it. For most people, the first liquid they consume is
coffee, a beverage that sucks the water out of our
cells. Try this test: Before you eat or drink anything
in the morning, sip about four ounces of water-no
more. You will be surprised to see that in two to
three minutes your mouth will feel parched.

Drink another four ounces and in two to three minutes
you will be 
thirsty again. You may have to repeat this six or more
times before you are no longer thirsty. Add up all the
four-ounce servings that you consumed, and you will
discover your body's true metabolic need for water.

------ End of Forwarded Message