WATER
Economy
THE SOURCE
OF LIFE “Water - the Source of Life” was the first press conference in Poland organised by Jantar Wody Mineralne Sp. z o.o. at the initiative of Janusz Tomaszewski, President of the company. The focus of the conference was the ways of ensuring adequate body hydration. The meeting held on 13 September at the PAP Press Centre was attended by leading global specialists, who discussed the issue of water’s impact on human health. The following persons appeared among the speakers: Professor Michał Nowicki, M.D. Ph.D., President of the Polish Society of Nephrology, Professor Edward Franek, M.D. Ph.D., Head of the Endocrinology and Diabetology Clinic at the Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of the Interior in Warsaw, and Łukasz Jaśkiewicz, Ph.D., student at the Department of Biochemistry of the Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport.
W
ater is essential to life, constituting 60% of an adult person's body and 75% of a child's body. Adequate hydration is one of the fundamental principles of a good diet, but why is it so important? Water makes up as many as 70% of human muscles, and its percentage share in the entire body is similar, though it varies depending on age, sex and body posture. Water also performs a purifying function as toxins and waste metabolic products are excreted with it. “The ability to maintain water and sodium balance is crucial to sustaining human life. The recommended daily amount of liquids (in any form) is approximately 2.5 litres. Apart from water, liquids include soups and juices contained in fruit and vegetables. Increased quantities of liquids should be consumed at higher temperatures and during physical activities. The American Institute of Medicine recommends an average daily consumption of 3.7 litres for a healthy adult man, and 2.7 litres for a healthy adult woman. These quantities need to be adjusted depending on physical activity, heath status, climate conditions, altitude above the sea level and water content in the consumed food products,” said Professor Michał Nowicki, whose major scientific interests include metabolic disorders (in particular carbohydrate as well as water and electrolyte imbalance) in patients suffering from chronic kidney diseases and hypertension. He is also an amateur runner, having completed 17 marathons and ultra-marathons, including the New York Marathon (twice, in 2013 and 2014). The Professor listed the major causes of water and electrolyte imbalance among amateur sportspeople (participants of marathons and ultra-marathons, triathlonists and cyclists). These are hypernatremia, caused by dehydration, the consumption of drinks containing high sodium levels or sodium excretion defects, as well as hyponatremia, with a major cause being the consumption of drinks containing small quantities or no electrolytes, especially combined with heavy perspiration (a significant loss of sodium with sweat). The expert stressed that practising sports, including the most intensive ones, is now becoming increasingly popular. More and more
66 polish market
people are willing to attend marathons, or even ultra-marathons, cycling marathons and triathlon competitions. “Sportspeople sometimes faint, for example during marathons, one of the reasons being dehydration. Its symptoms include agitation, muscle cramps and tremble, as well as confusion, fever and coma. In extreme cases, cerebral haemorrhage may occur, caused by decreased brain volume,” Professor Nowicki explained. “Ensuring proper hydration before, during and after physical effort is critical to maintaining motor efficiency. Any intensive physical activity lasting more than 30 minutes requires the supply of water and/or isotonic drinks. The decrease of body weight by 2% during a physical activity constitutes the limit beyond which the aerobic performance of muscles gets impaired, especially with high temperatures and humidity. The best and the simplest method to assess the hydration level is to check body weight, urine colour (density) and thirst,” Professor Nowicki concluded. The question of supplementing water and sodium deficits in diabetic patients was addressed by Professor Edward Franek. “Water is by far the most natural drink. Sweetened beverages, including sweetened water, are not recommended either for diabetic patients, given their high sugar content, or for other patients, given the risk of inducing diabetes. Research has shown that optimum water consumption may foster a better blood sugar control and the body's response to insulin,” he stressed. The Professor further stated that avoiding any extremes, both in drinking water and practising sports, is the rule of thumb. Łukasz Jaśkiewicz said that the body water deficit should not exceed 2% of body weight. “One should remember that the temperature of the body grows by 0.2 degrees with 1% of the body weight lost by a sportsperson,” he added. The specialist further noted that sodium is the major electrolyte that is lost through sweating. Its concentration, however, may vary strongly among sportspeople, ranging from 200 to over 2000 mg/l. “For this reason, some people should consume drinks with increased sodium content. Unfortunately, most mineral waters contain insignificant amounts of this element, which is why • drinks for sportspeople may often prove useful,” he explained.