Benefits of Drinking A Gallon Of Water A Day

Benefits of Drinking A Gallon Of Water A Day

by | Oct 1, 2020 | Health & Wellness

Benefits of Drinking A Gallon Of Water A Day

Drinking a gallon of water a day seems like a chore.

Normally people don’t drink close to a gallon of water a day, and many aren’t aware of the benefits it possesses. To start off, our body is made up of about 60% water. With such a large water-to-body ratio, why aren’t we drinking enough water?

Water is so beneficial, so easy, so free, yet so easily overlooked. If you have frequent headaches, are constipated, or are always hungry, water might be the answer for you. I used to suffer from frequent headaches, and my only relief was 200mg of ibuprofen.

If people think headaches are “normal” and just pop a pill to relieve the symptoms, then you are wrong. It can be a multitude of other factors, but it’s important to treat the most common underlying cause of dehydration! 

So do you literally have to drink a gallon a day?

The answer is no. Medline recommends 8 (8oz) glasses a day, and others suggest taking your weight into consideration. To be honest, you can’t overdo drinking water because the kidneys will simply excrete anything excess, a.k.a peeing a lot! For example, a person that weighs 160 pounds should drink 5 water bottles, which is a little less than 3/4 of a gallon. 

Benefits

Proper hydration is key for optimal health; not consuming enough can lead to serious complications, including but not limited to dehydration. All of our organs and cells need water to function. 

Benefits of water include:

  • Increase in energy & relieves fatigue

    • Our brain is mostly made up of water. Drinking plenty of water helps you think, focus, and be more alert. After about two weeks of being on top of my water intake, I realized when waking up, I was less dependent on coffee for that mental boost of energy.

  • Promotes weight loss

  • Flushes out toxins

    • Water helps the body get rid of toxins through sweat and urination, which also reduces your risk of kidney stones and UTIs (Urinary Tract Infection). Speaking of flush… You’ll be heading to the bathroom more often.

  • Improves skin complexion

    • Hydration prevents dryness and wrinkles reduce blemishes, and it’s the best anti-aging product around! I noticed with regular consumption of water, I relied less on lotion to keep my skin moisturized

  • Boosts immune system

  • Prevents cramps & Sprains

    • Proper hydration keeps your joints lubricated and muscles elastic. The cause of muscle cramps is not exactly known. It is thought to be caused by many things such as overuse, staying in one position for too long, electrolyte dysfunction, and of course, the main one is dehydration.

Your Turn

With the perks that water has, why not give a daily gallon of water a try? You can always start with less and build your way to the recommended water intake. Be ready to feel more focused, energized, and less hungry. Ultimately small changes in your life will help you become a better version of yourself.

 

Gut Microbe Disturbance Linked to Major Depressive Disorder

Gut Microbe Disturbance Linked to Major Depressive Disorder

by | Apr 24, 2020 | Cup of News

Gut Microbe Disturbance Linked to Major Depressive Disorder

A team of researchers from institutions in China and the U.S reports a link between human Gut microbiome disturbances and major depressive disorder. 

Brain-gut-microbiota

The gut microbiota interacts with the host via neuroimmune, neuroendocrine, and neural pathways. These pathways are components of the brain-gut-microbiota axis and preclinical evidence suggests that the microbiota can recruit this bidirectional communication system to modulate brain development, function, and behavior.

The gut bacterial microbiome has gained great attention. It has been hypothesized to play a critical role in the onset of various neuropsychiatric disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, autism, and bipolar disorder.

What is Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)?

Depression is a mood disorder that causes persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest. MDD is clinical depression, it affects how you think, feel, and behave, which leads to a variety of emotional and physical problems [1]. 

The gut microbiome, a vital and direct environmental contributor to central nervous system development, consists of a vast bacterial and viral community that can significantly influence host health and disease.

It is believed that depression is simply from having too much or too little of certain brain chemicals. In this new effort of research, the researchers suggest they have found evidence that links MDD symptoms with the gut microbiome. 

Fecal Transplantation Experiment

Using fecal transplantation experiments, one study has further shown that transplanting the “MDD microbiota” into germ-free mice or microbiota-depleted rats can induce depression-like behaviors in recipient animals, which clarifies the causal role of the gut microbiome in MDD onset

Results

The research involved 311 Fecal samples from 156 people with MDD and 155 people that did not have the disorder. 

Each sample underwent genetic analysis (whole-genome shotgun metagenomic and untargeted metabolomic methods) to identify microbes and other material found in samples. Metagenomic analysis, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)–based fecal metabolomics analysis were also performed. 

What was found: 3 bacteriophages, 47 bacterial species, and 50 fecal metabolites showing notable differences in abundance between MDD patients and healthy controls. Patients with MDD were mainly characterized by increased abundance of the genus Bacteroides and decreased abundance of the genera Blautia and Eubacterium. These multilevel omics alterations generated a characteristic MDD coexpression network.

A gene co-expression network (GCN) is an undirected graph, where each node corresponds to a gene, and a pair of nodes is connected with an edge if there is a significant co-expression relationship between them.

The team also noted that higher levels of Bacteroides in the microbiome might help to explain why so many MDD patients have heightened levels of cytokines and associated inflammation compared to the general populace. 

Currently, we diagnose MDD in patients throughout the interview process, is it possible in the future we can test the presence of certain elements in the gut microbe as a part of screening efforts to confirm the disorder [2].