Experts discussed the need to maintain proper hydration and an active lifestyle.

-adequate intake of fluids in women is, according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), of two litres a day

– is so important to have a balanced diet and drinking the right amount of fluids during pregnancy,

-is fundamental to achieve the energy balance between the consumption of calories that we and the amount of energy we spend on daily activities

Madrid, March of 2013- a proper hydration, along with proper nutrition and physical activity adapted to the capabilities of each woman, in such a way that balance the calories you consume with the energy expenditure we do, are the bases of health. These are some of the main issues raised by Prof. DRA. Pilar Riobó, at the 13th National meeting of health and medicine of women (SAMEM), which was held last week in Madrid.

For decades, nutrition has keeping in the background to the water and liquids, essential components for life and a correct nutrition. To preserve the health and well-being, we must maintain a water balance between the volume of liquid ingested and the excreted. According to Prof. DRA. Pilar Riobó, Associate Chief of the service of Endocrinology and nutrition of the Hospital Jiménez Diaz-capio, and participant in one of the sessions of the Congress of SAMEM most of our body is water, around 60%. Not yet an efficient mechanism of body water storage, so we must make a constant supply of fluids to maintain stable levels ”.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has recently published reference quantities on the proper fluid intake setting 2 liters for women and 2.5 litres for men.
However, for children aged between 4 and 8 years recommended 1,600 ml/day, against the 1,900 ml/day intake recommended for children and 2,100 ml/day for girls aged 9-13.

In this regard, the specialist recalled in his speech hydration and energy balance, necessities of life ”, these quantities must conform to the physiological needs of each age, vital moment, the environmental conditions and physical activity carried out ”.

On the other hand, the EFSA recommended pregnant women increase their intake of liquids according to the increase in energy consumption that made, and for lactating women, that this increase in liquids is 700 ml/day, in relation to non-lactating women of the same age.

Pregnant women and nursing mothers, and in child and youth population

The changes that occur in the body during pregnancy, which include the increase in plasma volume or the formation of amniotic fluid, make that pregnant women need to ingest greater amount of liquids. Prof. Dr. Riobo explains that maternal dehydration (insufficient intake of fluids or pathology) may favour the intrauterine growth retardation ”.

Thanks to a good hydration, are relieved some of the symptoms that occur during pregnancy or, if less, not make it worse. In this sense, to carry out an adequate intake of fluids will allow help to avoid constipation, remove toxins from the body, reducing the risk of urinary tract infections, as well as to ensure a proper functioning of all the organs of the mother, promoting the health of the offspring.

Over the period of lactation, according to Prof. DRA. Riobo a good hydration is essential at this stage, given the high amount of fluid that is lost with the milk and the need to achieve optimal health in the mother, to the smooth running of the process and so that your child is receiving the proper amount of milk, with a fluid and nutrient content adjusted to your needs ”.

Next to it, the specialist says that hydration status can also affect cognitive ability, and that when the body loses more than 2% of liquid there is a decrease in mental performance, which affects the capacity of short term memory and concentration, attention.

According to the expert, the dehydration can alter various mental processes as well as the quickness of perception, producing significant changes in cognitive function (perception, attention, memory, thinking and language), and in motor coordination, reaction time and perceptual discrimination. The expert points out in his speech that proper hydration can help in the prevention of many occupational accidents and situations of low yield, as well as improve sense of well-being ”.

Search for energy balance

For the specialist, physical activity on a regular basis is one of the most relevant aspects for maintaining health, and explains that it is essential to balance our energy expenditure with the consumption of calories than we realize and understand that good and bad food, but more or less adequate diets there are. Is changing our habits of life, but this transformation happens not only to make a balanced diet but to incorporate in our day-by-day regular practice of physical activity ”, adds. For this expert, our body is designed to operate with a limited intake and exercise enough, and not to the contrary, as it is the case today ”.