Water retention is a health problem that manifests as swelling of the ankles, feet, hands and legs. It results from the accumulation of fluids in the cavities, circulatory system and tissues.
Water retention can be detected through blood and urine tests, liver function tests, cardiac function tests or X-rays.
What are the risk factors for water retention?
Water retention occurs most often during menopause, pregnancy, physical inactivity and burns.
An unhealthy diet, the use of contraceptive pills or any other estrogen containing pill, and the use of medications such as vasodilators can also lead to this health problem.
In most cases, water retention is not serious, but sometimes it can be dangerous and increase the risk of certain diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease, heart failure or liver disease.
Water retention, also called edema, is unfortunately very common. Therefore, it is important to know its main causes and ways to prevent it.
Here are the main causes of water retention:
1. Dehydration
When not properly hydrated, the body retains water, causing swelling in the hands of the legs, ankles and feet.
How to cure it ?
Avoid coffee and soft drinks and use water to keep the body hydrated.
2. Ingesting excessive sodium
Edema often occurs when the body begins to use the water reserves it has, which is often the case when the person consumes foods high in sodium. It is abundant in processed foods, condiments, processed meat and canned vegetables.
How to cure it ?
Limit the intake of high-sodium foods and replace your salt with Himalayan
salt.
3. Vitamin B6 deficiency
Vitamin B6 is essential in many water balance processes in the body, which means that lack of it can lead to edema. The Journal of Caring Sciences has published a study in which women with premenstrual syndrome have received this vitamin daily and experienced great improvements very quickly.
How to cure it ?
Promote the consumption of foods rich in vitamin B6 such as chicken, bananas, potatoes, tuna, dried fruits, turkey, sunflower seeds, pistachios and lean beef.
4. Magnesium deficiency
Suffering from magnesium deficiency inhibits the proper functioning of many vital systems and leads to water retention. Scientific research on this topic has shown that consuming 200 mg of magnesium a day could reduce edema in women with premenstrual syndrome.
How to cure it ?
You must take magnesium supplements and consume more foods rich in this mineral, such as spinach, walnuts, dark chocolate and avocados.
5. A lack of potassium
Potassium is extremely important for the function of cells, tissues and organs of the body. It plays an important role in the optimization of the water balance, so that deficiency in this mineral can lead to water retention and other ailments such as weight gain and muscle cramps. Because of its ability to reduce sodium levels, potassium is able to reverse edema.
How to cure it ?
Choose fruit, especially watermelon, bananas and melon.
On the other hand, there are several plants with effective diuretic
properties to counteract water retention such as garlic, dandelion,
fennel, parsley, horsetail and hibiscus.