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The facts about fitness
If there were a new supplement that would help you to build muscle and burn fat, you would be interested, wouldn't you?
If this new supplement had been proven to increase muscle strength, reduce protein breakdown, and increase fat burning by up to 40% [1], you would want to know more, wouldn't you?
And if you knew that your exercise performance would drop by a massive 22% without it [4], you would have to get your hands on a month's supply, wouldn't you?
Well folks, here's the good news.
The changes I've just described were all a result of an increase in cell hydration. And what's the best way to keep your cells hydrated?
You guessed it -- drink more water.
You and I are always told to drink more water. Problem is, the message gets repeated so often that many of us overlook its importance.
In fact, when I go to the gym each morning, I don't see ANYONE (apart from me, that is) with a bottle of water. While it's true that many people know that water is important, they obviously don't apply that knowledge.
Why don't people drink enough water?
There are two reasons. First off, water is free. And anything we get for nothing, we usually think is worth nothing. Perhaps if water cost $30 a bottle, we'd be drinking more of the stuff.
It's also likely that people don't drink enough water because they haven't been sold on the benefits. In this report, my goal is to sell you on the idea of drinking more water.
I want you to have a bottle of water in your car, in your gym bag - everywhere you go. I want you to break into a cold sweat at the mere thought of being more than six feet away from a bottle of water (okay, so I'm exaggerating just a little - but you get the idea).
We all need a certain amount of water to stay alive. Research has shown that endurance athletes experience a significant drop in performance unless they consume water constantly during an event.
Recent scientific evidence also shows that water may be of immense value to people wanting to lose fat and build muscle, through its effect on a phenomenon known as cellular hydration (also known as cell volume or cell swelling).
More about that in a moment.
Over half of your body weight is made up from water. In fact, almost 75% of the weight of a muscle consists of water. The regular intake of water is important for everyone, irrespective of their level of physical activity. A sedentary adult in a normal environment requires about two and a half liters of water each day.
For people who exercise regularly, the need for water is that much greater - water loss via sweating can reach a peak of around three liters per hour. It's been known for several years that a reduction in exercise performance could be the result of inadequate water intake.
Some evidence to show this is the case comes from a study carried out in the mid 1960's [4]. The researchers found that subjects who were dehydrated experienced a massive 22% drop in VO2max (a measure of aerobic fitness).
Despite this, many people find that they don't feel thirsty during exercise. This could be due to the fact that your thirst sensors are 'switched off' during intense exercise [3]. So the absence of thirst doesn't necessarily mean that you don't need water. A constant intake of fluid is essential during any exercise session.
An increase in cell volume reduces protein breakdown.
Over the past few years, a number of scientists have noted the importance of cell volume on protein metabolism. Cell volume is related to the water content of a cell. As its water content increases, a cell will increase in volume (a bit like blowing up a balloon). Conversely, cell volume is decreased when its water content drops.
The interest in this area was sparked by research on patients with muscle wasting diseases. Scientists found that a reduction in cellular hydration appears to trigger the increase in muscle wasting that accompanies various diseases [7].
A number of studies show that an increase in cellular hydration appears to increase protein synthesis. In addition, there also appears to be a close link between the extent of cell swelling and the inhibition of protein breakdown.
For example, a study conducted by scientists in Switzerland and Germany examined the effects of cellular hydration on protein breakdown [10]. The researchers found that protein breakdown and oxidation (when protein is oxidized, it is converted into energy) were reduced in subjects who were well hydrated.
It's a fact that your muscles get bigger when the rate of protein synthesis EXCEEDS the rate of protein breakdown. So, staying hydrated on a regular basis could play an important role in promoting muscle growth.
Now, before we continue, it's worth pointing out that subjects in these studies were infused with various substances designed to saturate their bodies with fluid -- making it unrealistic to expect that you'll experience the same kind of results just by increasing your water intake.
However, the research does give you an insight into how cell hydration affects the metabolism of fat, protein and carbohydrate, and offers some compelling reasons as to why it's vital to stay hydrated all day, every day.
Cell hydration increases the rate of fat oxidation.
You see, in addition to its effect on protein breakdown, water may also have a significant influence on the metabolism of fat. A recent study in Switzerland showed that alterations in cell volume have a profound effect on lipolysis (lipolysis - pronounced lie-pol-a-sis - describes the process of fat stores being broken down and prepared for use as energy).
A group of seven men consumed between 2.5 and 3 liters of water overnight in order to stimulate a mild degree of cell swelling. The following morning, a series of blood samples were taken in order to measure the amount of fat that had been released from fat cells. Cell swelling was found to increase lipolysis by almost 40% [1].
A second Swiss study also reports that increases in cell volume lead to a rise in lipolysis and fat oxidation (fat oxidation describes the process of fat being converted into energy) [2]. It appears that cellular hydration increases the activity of enzymes responsible for converting fat into energy [7].
These findings could also demonstrate why cellular hydration reduces protein breakdown. Because an increase in cell volume leads to a greater availability of fat, your body relies less on carbohydrate and protein.
The bottom line?
Make sure to drink plenty of water (2-3 liters per day) on a regular basis. Not just when you remember, but 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. On a personal note, drinking more water was the one single thing I did that gave me more energy during the day. In fact, if I ever feel drained or sluggish, I can usually trace it back to not drinking enough water in the preceding hours.
To make it easy for yourself, fill a bottle of water first thing in the morning, and aim to finish it by the end of the day.
References
1. Bilz, S., Ninnis, R., & Keller, U. (1999). Effects of hypoosmolality on whole-body lipolysis in man. Metabolism, 48, 472-476
2. Berneis, K., Ninnis, R., Haussinger, D., & Keller, U. (1999). Effects of hyper- and hypoosmolality on whole body protein and glucose kinetics in humans. American Journal of Physiology, 276, 188-195
3. Costill, D.L., & Miller, J.M. (1980). Nutrition for endurance sport: carbohydrate and fluid balance. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 1, 2-14
4. Craig, F.N., & Cummings, E.G. (1966). Dehydration and muscular work. Journal of Applied Physiology, 21, 670-674
5. Finn, J., Lindsay, D., Clark, M., Connolly, A., & Hill, G. (1996). Progressive cellular dehydration and proteolysis in critically ill patients. Lancet, 347, 654-656
6. Guezennec, C.Y. (1992). Role of lipids on endurance capacity in man. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 13, S114-S118
7. Haussinger, D., Roth, E., Lang, F., & Gerok, W. (1993). Cellular hydration state: an important determinant of protein catabolism in health and disease. Lancet, 341, 1330-1332
8. Haussinger, D., Lang, F., & Gerok, W. (1994). Regulation of cell function by the cellular hydration state. American Journal of Physiology, 30, E343-E355
9. MacDougal, J.D (1992). Hypertrophy or hyperplasia. In Strength and Power in Sport (edited by PV Komi), pp. 211-299. Oxford, England: Blackwell Scientific
10. Vom Dahl, S., Hallbrucker, C., Lang, F., Gerok, W., & Haussinger, D. (1991). Regulation of liver cell volume and proteolysis by glucagon and insulin. Biochemical Journal, 278, 771-777
Some facts about water you should know...
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