It’s hot as I write this, and though generally I’m reluctant to mention the weather because it invariably changes before the column appears in print, I’ve decided to risk it because I want to raise concerns about hydration. In any event, this topic is relevant not just in the summer months but all the year round. I’d like to start by reminding you of some useful facts.
Overall, 60% of the adult body is composed of water. Some parts of us have less than that; bones, for example are comprised of 31%. Others, like the skin, kidneys and muscles contain more.
But perhaps what’s even more important for those of us of a certain age, is that a massive 73% of the brain is made up of water. I’m parking that statistic with you here, because I’ll return to it, seeing as plenty of us are even more concerned about the health of our brains than we are of our bodies. So, let’s look at dehydration and its dangers.
In simple terms, dehydration occurs when we are not drinking enough fluid to replace what we lose. And the two groups of people who are most at risk are small children and those of us over 60. Partly for us, it’s probably just a “getting older” thing, but additionally many pensioners have chronic illnesses which can increase dehydration, as can a number of the drugs prescribed to treat them.
Some of us too, are more prone to tummy upsets, and these can cause serious fluid-loss. Now, you may think that you can’t be dehydrated because you’re not thirsty. But .