Water - Gives Longevity. Drink It, Bulgarians!

The campaign aims to promote the benefits of good hydration for human health and begins on the eve of World Water Day - March 22.

It turns out that the Bulgarian does not know the dangers of dehydration and has no formed attitude to the need to include enough fluids in the daily diet. Few people know the recommendation to drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day, even fewer follow it.

For almost a decade, no national representative survey has been conducted in Bulgaria, which would provide complete information about the attitudes of people from different generations to the intake of water and other fluids, said Prof. Baykova.

The latest data - from 2004, show that the average daily amount of mineral water consumed by Bulgarians is between 22 and 28 ml, while the amount of carbonated soft drinks is many times more - between 62 and 158 ml per day.

Alarming data are also obtained from research on children and students in the upper grades, alerted the national consultant in nutrition and dietetics Prof. Veselka Duleva, head of the Department of Food and Nutrition at the National Center for Public Health and Analysis. The recognition of a large number of children between the ages of 1st and 4th, who openly share that they consume energy drinks more than once a week, cannot be ignored, she said.

Most schools do not have fountains, and toilets are not a good place for children to drink water. For this reason, health experts have initiated and held a meeting at the Ministry of Education and Science in order to find a solution to the problem, informed Prof. Duleva.

The specialist points out that parents should not wait for the child to ask for water, but should offer him water regularly to get him used to the important habit.

The same goes for adults - we don't have to wait to get thirsty to drink water. The feeling of thirst is a delayed symptom of dehydration and we should not allow it to appear, Duleva explained.

Insufficient consumption of water and fluids there is a risk of nervous system dysfunction, thermoregulation, alkaline-acid balance . The aging process is intensifying.

Dehydration is a pathological condition in which the body's water content is reduced. Dehydration, in which a weight loss of 10-20% is observed, is life-threatening. A completely healthy person loses his life if he runs out of water for 7-10 days, and in a dry and hot atmosphere for 3-5 days.

Most often dehydration of the body occurs with diarrhea. Other causes include: food poisoning, persistent vomiting, pyloric stenosis, toxicosis of pregnancy, polyuria (diabetes), kidney disease, vitamin D hypervitaminosis, hyperparathyroidism, Addison's disease, diuretics.

Dehydration can occur with profuse sweating and evaporation of water with the exhalation of air, which is typical of overheating, sepsis, severe infectious diseases, fever. Dehydration is also observed in acute blood loss, loss of plasma in severe burns.

Deficiency of body fluids can also occur in people with emotional disorders due to starvation and insufficient water intake. The problem occurs in helpless patients, adults and children who are not adequately cared for. There are also psychogenic diseases in which patients lose the feeling of thirst.

The risk of dehydration of the child's body is much higher, because the tissues in the child's body contain more fluids than in adults, and at the same time the water-salt metabolism is imperfect.

Dehydration in children is most often associated with dyspeptic disorders . In the newborn, the most specific cause is the adrenogenital syndrome. In infants - insufficient water intake, especially when fed formula.

Water loss is usually caused by excessive release of sodium and other osmotic active substances. However, their concentration in the intercellular fluid may not change significantly (isostomotic type of dehydration). Then the water from the intercellular space and from the cells is released evenly.

With the loss of more water than the loss of salts and when no water is ingested, a hyperosic or water-deficient type of dehydration develops. Then the water content in the cells and organs is below normal. The phenomenon is known as hypohydration or cell dehydration.

In primary sodium loss, for example in renal failure and some nephritis, a hypoosmotic type of dehydration or salt deficiency is observed, in which the water from the intercellular space decreases at the expense of its excessive content in the cells - hyperhydration of the cells.

Maintaining water balance in the human body is important for good health, and dehydration as a result of insufficient water and fluid intake leads to reduced mental and physical performance, impaired attention and concentration, fatigue and headaches and impaired body temperature regulation.

The H2I love campaign will be developed through a series of initiatives, the first of which will be on the occasion of World Water Day.

During the weekend, everyone will be able to measure their water content with a special device and learn more about hydration. The research will take place on March 21 and 22 at The Mall and the Earth and People Museum, along with other interesting events organized by I Love Water.