Dehydration Linked to Cognitive Problems in Older Adults

A woman fills up a glass with water in Paris on April 27, 2014. (Getty Images)
A woman fills up a glass with water in Paris on April 27, 2014. (Getty Images)
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Dehydration Linked to Cognitive Problems in Older Adults

A woman fills up a glass with water in Paris on April 27, 2014. (Getty Images)
A woman fills up a glass with water in Paris on April 27, 2014. (Getty Images)

A US research team has discovered a new link between dehydration and memory and other cognitive functions. The findings were highlighted in a report published Sunday by The Medical News Today Website.

Dehydration can cause headaches, lethargy, dizziness, and many other issues, depending on how severe it is. Studies have tended to focus on the effects of dehydration in younger populations — especially in the context of sports and fitness, where overexertion and abundant sweating can cause people to lose more fluids.

However, one segment of the population is particularly susceptible to dehydration: older adults. As we age, our water reserves decline due to reductions in muscle mass, our kidneys become less effective at retaining water, and hormonal signals that trigger thirst and motivate water intake become blunted.

And because adults also have a higher risk of cognitive impairment, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania looked at the cognitive performance in relation to hydration status and water intake among older adults, who may suffer from dehydration.

In their study published in the European Journal of Nutrition, the researchers analyzed the data of 2,506 participants, 1,271 women and 1,235 men aged 60 and over.

The Nutrition and Health Examination Survey collected these data in 2011–2014. All the participants gave blood samples, and provided information about what they had consumed throughout the day preceding the blood sample collection.

To measure each participant's hydration levels, the investigators looked at the concentration of different substances and compounds including sodium, potassium, glucose and urea nitrogen in their blood. All participants also undertook cognitive function tests, including tasks designed to assess verbal recall and fluency, and exercises focused on attention levels and working memory.

At first glance, the researchers found an association between appropriate hydration and good scores in the cognitive function tests. In particular, women appeared to display poorer cognitive performance when they were under-hydrated.

In the report published by The Medical News Today website on Sunday, the study's lead author Hilary Bethancourt said the test showed that those who were over-hydrated or under-hydrated performed the worst.

"It was interesting that even though this test took only a few minutes, it was the one most strongly associated with lower hydration levels," she added.

Although many questions remain to be answered, Bethancourt advises that older adults should not risk their health by overlooking proper hydration.



'Lungs of the Earth': the Indonesians Fighting for Peatland

Indonesia has more tropical peatland than any country, but it is also quickly losing this poorly understood ecosystem. STR / AFP
Indonesia has more tropical peatland than any country, but it is also quickly losing this poorly understood ecosystem. STR / AFP
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'Lungs of the Earth': the Indonesians Fighting for Peatland

Indonesia has more tropical peatland than any country, but it is also quickly losing this poorly understood ecosystem. STR / AFP
Indonesia has more tropical peatland than any country, but it is also quickly losing this poorly understood ecosystem. STR / AFP

Indonesian environmentalist Pralensa steered his boat through a shallow canal in the marshy peatlands near his village, an environment he fears may soon disappear.

His oar stirred up rich organic material in the brackish water, evidence of the layers of plant matter that make peatlands vital carbon dioxide stores and key to biodiversity, AFP said.

Indonesia has more tropical peatland than any other country, but it is also quickly losing this poorly understood ecosystem.

That affects local residents and wildlife but also has global impacts, because converted peatland can release vast quantities of planet-warming carbon dioxide.

Pralensa worries a similar fate awaits much of the swampy peatland around his village of Lebung Itam in South Sumatra.

Locals say palm oil firm Bintang Harapan Palma has already begun digging canals to drain the peatlands for planting.

"We protested... we told them this is a community-managed area," said Pralensa, who, like many Indonesians, uses a single name.

"According to them, they already have rights to this land."

Bintang Harapan Palma did not respond to AFP's request for comment.

Peatlands are an in-between place -- seemingly neither water nor land -- an environment that slows plant decomposition and forms carbon-rich peat.

Covering just three percent of the world's surface, they hold an estimated 44 percent of all soil carbon.

Indonesia's peatlands are home to endangered orangutans, as well as economically important fish species. They also help prevent flooding and drought, lower local temperatures and minimize saltwater intrusion.

For Pralensa, peatlands are no less than a "spiritual bond".

"From the moment that we exist, that we're born, we are aware of this peatland. We encounter it every moment of every day," the 44-year-old said.

Catastrophic fires

Indonesia's peatland has long been converted for agriculture, drained of the water that is its lifeblood, with severe consequences.

Dry peat is highly flammable, and fire can smoulder underground and reignite seemingly at will.

The blazes sparked calls for action, including a moratorium on new peatland concessions.

Government regulations adopted the following year banned several damaging activities, including burning and drying out peatland.

The environment ministry did not respond to questions submitted by AFP.

"Weak oversight and law enforcement in Indonesia allow the exploitation of peatlands to continue," said Wahyu Perdana at peatland preservation NGO Pantau Gambut.

And fires still happen "almost every year," said Rohman, a farmer in Bangsal village, around two hours west of Lebung Itam.

Like Lebung Itam, it is ringed by plantations on converted peatland.

Bangsal residents could once rely on vast wetlands to feed their distinctive buffalo, which dive beneath the water to graze.

Fish traps supplied additional income, along with small rice paddies.

'We must protect nature'

Plantation infrastructure prevents water from subsiding properly when the rains end, complicating rice planting.

And then there is the seasonal haze.

"It's difficult to do anything" when it descends, said Rohman, with visibility sometimes dropping to just a few meters.

Everything from "economic activity to children playing and learning is very disrupted".

Rohman, 53, was one of several plaintiffs from Bangsal and Lebung Itam who filed a landmark lawsuit over the fires.

They argued three companies with nearby timber plantations on peatland bore legal responsibility for the health, economic and social impacts of local fires.

Filing the suit was not an easy decision, said Bangsal schoolteacher Marda Ellius, who alleges a company named in the case offered her money and help for her family if she withdrew.

"I kept thinking that, from the beginning, my goal here was for the environment, for many people," she said.

"I chose to continue."

AFP could not reach the companies named in the suit. Major firm Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), which buys from the three companies, did not respond.

This month, a local court rejected the suit, saying the plaintiffs lacked standing.

"The pain cannot be described," plaintiff Muhammad Awal Gunadi said of the ruling.

"It was tough because we were facing corporations.

The group has pledged to appeal, and Bangsal's villagers are lobbying local government for a new designation to protect their remaining peatland.

Healthy peat is "like the lungs of the Earth," said Bangsal resident and buffalo farmer Muhammad Husin.

"Hopefully, if we protect nature, nature will also protect us."