Water is essential to our body’s functions. Many people believe that drinking more water every day can keep them healthy by boosting their metabolism to eliminate toxins and waste. There is even a formula that calculates the optimal water intake by multiplying the body weight by 30ml of water. Drinking water can indeed benefit our health, but these 4 groups of people cannot drink too much water a day or drink too hurriedly, or else their lives will be at risk!

4 groups of people to watch out for

Heart disease patients

When water is absorbed into the human body, it enters the blood and increases the blood volume and pressure. As our heart is the engine that pumps blood, greater pressure means a heavier burden on the heart. If heart disease patients drink a large amount of water within a short time, the blood vessels will constrict rapidly, leading to potential myocardial Infarction and sudden death.

Kidney disease patients

Water is mainly metabolised by the kidney, but glomerular dysfunction in kidney disease patients lowers the filtering speed. If patients drink too much water, the water cannot be discharged from the body, causing water retention. Excessive moisture also causes electrolyte imbalance, which further burdens the kidney and accelerates damage to kidney functions.

Liver disease patients

Patients with cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure and other liver diseases cannot produce albumin, a protein in the blood. This will lower the oncotic pressure; the blood will then leak out from the capillaries. If patients drink too much water, this increases the blood volume and subsequently the amount of leaked fluid which will build up in tissues, worsening the burden on the liver and triggering water retention.

Glaucoma patients

Glaucoma is a kind of optic nerve disorder caused by elevated intraocular pressure and hypoxia. The eye pressure is affected by the amount of aqueous humour. If patients drink a lot of water rapidly, their eye pressure will surge while the increased aqueous humour can hardly flow out, leading to a vicious cycle. They should therefore drink water in small sips.

Water is essential, but excessive intake can put your life at risk. The above 4 groups of people should follow their doctors’ instructions and control their fluid intake to stay in good health.