A Mechanism In The Brain Prevents Us From Drinking More Water

Author: Leticia Celentano Time for reading: ~1 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022

A Mechanism In The Brain Prevents Us From Drinking More Water

When we are not thirsty, the brain suppresses the swallowing reflex, thus making it difficult to consume larger amounts of water.

The recommendation to consume eight glasses of water a day is widespread, but for many this optimal amount is difficult to achieve. Researchers are now shedding light on the cause of the problem after establishing a swallowing mechanism that prevents fluid intake when we are not thirsty.

Given that 60% of body weight consists of water, it is no surprise that it is essential for health and supports every function in the body . K HAT is required amount of water for the day?

Despite the rule of eight glasses a day, there is no concrete evidence to accurately determine the optimal amount of fluids to consume.

Based on data from the US Institute of Medicine, it is recommended that women consume a total of about 2.2 liters of fluid per day, while for men the optimal amount is about 3 liters.

However, the data from the new study states that we should consume water only when we are thirsty. The reason is that researchers have discovered a mechanism that challenges the consumption of larger amounts of water.

For the purposes of the new study, the research team recruits volunteers who are asked to consume plenty of water after exercise and a little later in the day when they are not thirsty.

Each time participants should assess the difficulty of ingesting water . Compared to consuming it immediately after exercise, it is three times harder for participants to consume water when they are not thirsty .

According to the researchers, the study found a first effort to swallow when it comes to consuming extra water, which means that there is some resistance. They add that this is in line with the idea that the swallowing reflex is suppressed when we have consumed enough water.

Researchers also use magnetic resonance imaging, which allows them to measure brain activity just before swallowing water - when participants are thirsty and when they are not.

Significantly higher activity was found in certain areas of the right prefrontal cortex of the brain in cases where participants had to make an effort to swallow water. This means that the brain rejects the suppression of the swallowing reflex to allow additional water consumption.

The data are contained in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .

A Mechanism In The Brain Prevents Us From Drinking More Water

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