Importance of water in proper nutrition

Edited by Doctor Cestaro Mario

" first part

Hydration during physical activity

During physical activity, the need for water increases. Regarding the need for hydration, it is a good rule to "try to anticipate the sensation of thirst", in other words to drink "just enough" so as not to feel thirst during activity.

When the sensation of thirst arises, the "dehydration threshold" has been reached, which corresponds to a loss of water of 3% of body weight, but a loss of 2% is already sufficient to cause a decrease in muscle performance. If the loss of water reaches 5% - 6% of the body weight, cramps and fatigue arise.
Indicatively, the recommended water consumption for medium intensity physical activity, lasting no more than 1 hour, is between 400 and 600 ml (example: a glass of water before starting the activity and a glass of water at the end of the activity) . Physical activities of medium intensity include: brisk walking, the "gym" (with the exception of particularly intense exercises such as pull-ups and parallel bends), walking mixed with jogging (with a duration of the jogging phase of less than 20 minutes /Now).

How do i know if i am drinking adequately?

The volume of urine excreted in 1 day by an adult is on average 1500 ml and the number of daily urinations is less than seven. To understand if the level of hydration is adequate it is useful to observe the urine:

• if the urine is colorless or faintly colored (yellow-gold color) and does not "stink" you are drinking enough.
• If you do not drink enough, the amount of water present in the urine decreases, turning yellow or dark yellow and giving off an intense odor (as a result of the concentration of urinary solutes).

Essential bibliography

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Does Drinking Beverages with Added Sugars Increase the Risk of Overweight?
Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, Research to Practices Series n ° 3, 2006.

Del Toma E.
Diet therapy and Clinical Nutrition.
the scientific thought publisher - II ° edition-, 1995.

Henry J.B.
Clinical diagnosis and its management with laboratory methods.
Piccin, 1996.

Mayo Clinic Staff
Water: How much should you drink every day?
MayoClinic.com http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283 April 19, 2008.

Marzatico / Pompeii
Dietetics, Integration and food supplementation in the sports field.
Proceedings of the First Level Master in Sports and Fitness Sciences - University of Camerino A.A. 2007/08.

Zangara / Whites
Dietetics composition and biochemistry of food nutrition and diet in the healthy and the sick.
piccin II ° edition.