A new study done by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found that people who do not stay hydrated are at an increased risk of developing chronic diseases and dying at a younger age.

To make this determination, researchers used the serum sodium levels, which are optimal for measuring hydration in the blood of healthy people. Normal levels are between 135 and 146 mmol/l.

Co-author for the study, Natalia Dmitrieva, explained that “decreased body water content is the most common factor that increases serum sodium, which is why the results suggest that staying well hydrated may slow down the aging process and prevent or delay chronic disease.”

The research included 15,000 participants from an ongoing long-term heart health study that began in the late 1980s. All participants were observed for more than 25 years.

The results of the study showed that there is a significant correlation between participants with serum sodium levels above 142 mmol/l and faster aging biologically.

Participants whose levels were above 142 had a 15 per cent change of aging faster while those whose levels were above 144 had a 50 per cent chance of aging faster.

The research further revealed that there is a link between deprivation of hydration and chronic disease.

Based on the the study’s findings, participants with a serum sodium levels above 142 mmol/l had a 64 percent increased risk of chronic disease, including heart failure, diabetes and dementia.

In addition, those with levels above 144 had a 20 per cent chance of dying prematurely, compared to those with lower levels.

The researchers caution that correlation does not necessarily mean causation. As such, these findings cannot directly suggest that severe decreased hydration causes shortened lifespan.

But, the research does suggest that low levels of hydration can trigger aging.

This new study follows previous research that was done by the same researchers from NIH in 2019. The study found that chronically depriving mice of hydration shortened their lifespan by six months or 15 years of human life.

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