In daily life, when the body is uncomfortable, many people like to remind them to "drink more hot water", as if "drink more hot water" can do anything. So, is drinking hot water really useful?
There are many benefits to drinking hot water
Drinking hot water does have certain benefits for the body. Drinking hot water at an appropriate temperature can increase the activity of digestive enzymes, promote gastrointestinal peristalsis, and thus facilitate digestion and absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. For ordinary people or those with weak constitution, drinking warm water in daily life is in line with the concept of health care.
Not only hot water, but also most warm foods can dispel coldness, especially suitable for people with deficiency cold constitution, and play an auxiliary role in the treatment of certain cold diseases. For example, if you have a cold caused by wind chill, you can drink hot ginger soup to dispel it. Women who experience cold lower abdomen and dysmenorrhea during their menstrual period can also drink hot soup and hot brown sugar ginger tea to alleviate menstrual discomfort.
On the contrary, frequent consumption of cold water or beverages can easily damage the spleen and stomach yang qi, causing gastrointestinal discomfort. Over time, this can easily lead to spleen and stomach deficiency and cold, forming a deficiency and cold constitution, resulting in symptoms such as fear of cold, lack of warmth in hands and feet, and coldness in the epigastric region.
How much water should adults drink every day?
According to the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents", adults can maintain their basic metabolism by drinking 7-8 cups of water (1500-1700 milliliters) per day. But when the body is in a sub healthy state, adjustments must be made according to specific circumstances. The following will provide specific explanations from several common diseases.
1. People with fever
When the human body is heated, pores open and excessive sweating leads to a loss of a large amount of water. Therefore, it is necessary to supplement additional water, but not more is better. When the intake of water far exceeds the excretion, excessive water will remain in the body, causing plasma dilution and a decrease in sodium ion concentration in the plasma. This phenomenon is called "dilutive hyponatremia", which may manifest as symptoms such as headache, drowsiness, blurred vision, limb twitching, and even fatal in severe cases.
2. People with hyperuricemia and gout
The "Dietary Guidelines for Adult Hyperuricemia and Gout" (2024 edition) states that regular and regular drinking of water can promote the excretion of uric acid. Therefore, people with hyperuricemia and gout should drink as much water as possible under normal heart and kidney function, and it is recommended to drink 2000-3000 milliliters per day. Increasing water intake is beneficial for increasing urine output and can help dilute and excrete excess uric acid in the body.
3 individuals with renal dysfunction
Chronic kidney disease patients have no difference in water intake requirements compared to normal individuals, unless there are special contraindications. For the group of chronic kidney patients without swelling and with normal urine output, the daily water intake is the same as that of normal individuals, ranging from 1500 to 1700 milliliters. For chronic kidney patients with edema and low urine output, it is necessary to plan water intake based on daily urine output and dialysis dehydration volume.
4 individuals with heart failure
For people with chronic heart failure, experts suggest that the intake should be the same as that of normal people, 1500-2000 milliliters per day, which can meet the body's metabolism without increasing the burden on the heart.