Health
Ask a doctor: ‘Can I be dehydrated even if I’m not thirsty?’
While dehydration is often associated with being thirsty, that’s not the only warning sign our bodies share with us.
The condition can occur when you use or lose more fluid than you take in, which can impact the body’s ability to perform its normal functions, say experts.
The body loses fluids and water through sweating and urination, according to Cleveland Clinic.
HATE WATER? HERE ARE 5 HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES, ACCORDING TO AN NFL SPORTS DIETITIAN
“In warm and hot weather in particular, your body loses water and fluid faster,” Mike Sevilla, M.D., a family physician with Salem Family Care in Salem, Ohio, told Fox News Digital.
“If these fluids are not replaced, the body becomes dehydrated.”
Water is lost when you sweat, so if you’re engaging in vigorous activity and don’t replace fluids, you can become dehydrated. (iStock)
Although anyone can become dehydrated, it can be especially dangerous for vulnerable groups, such as young children and the elderly.
HERE ARE THE DRINKS YOU SHOULD HAVE ON A FLIGHT TO PREVENT DEHYDRATION — AND WHAT YOU SHOULDN’T
5 surprising symptoms of dehydration
Doctors shared with Fox News Digital some of the signs of dehydration that go beyond thirst.
1. Sweating
It may come as a surprise that excessive sweating could be an indicator of dehydration.
Water is lost when you sweat, so if you’re engaging in vigorous activity and don’t replace fluids, you can become dehydrated, according to Mayo Clinic’s website.
Illness is an often overlooked cause of dehydration, often leading to a depletion of fluids. (iStock)
“In heat and humidity, we lose more water in the form of perspiration, which is what triggers the body to tell the brain that it needs water and the actual feeling of thirst,” Lauren Fine, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist with Fine Dermatology in Chicago, told Fox News Digital.
2. Sickness
Illness is an often overlooked cause of dehydration. With excessive vomiting or diarrhea, the body can quickly become depleted of fluids — especially with younger people and older adults, Sevilla said.
NEED MORE WATER INTAKE? THESE 4 FOODS CAN HELP YOU STAY HYDRATED ON HOT SUMMER DAYS
“Having a fever or an infection can also lead to dehydration, because fever can cause you to sweat and thereby lose fluid,” he cautioned.
3. Fatigue
One of the initial signs of dehydration is fatigue.
Fatigue is one of the early signs of dehydration, according to experts. (iStock)
“People usually ignore this symptom, thinking that they are just tired,” Sevilla said — but it can progress to dizziness and lightheadedness.
To combat fatigue, he recommends consuming beverages with electrolytes to boost energy levels.
4. Dark urine
If your urine is amber- or honey-colored, or dark orange, this may indicate that your body isn’t getting enough water, according to Health.com.
“If you’re dehydrated and are holding onto more of the actual water itself, the urine will become darker and darker,” Michael A Palese, M.D., chair of the Department of Urology at Mount Sinai in New York, told Health.com.
5. Skin changes
Dehydrated skin can look dull and dry, and can also show premature signs of aging, such as surface wrinkles.
Changes in the skin can be a symptom of dehydration, experts say. (iStock)
“Skin cells need water to survive,” said Fine.
To keep the skin hydrated, she recommends drinking water while working out, reducing intake of coffee and other caffeinated beverages, and eating more fruits, vegetables and legumes.
When to seek medical attention
The longer dehydration continues without intake of sufficient fluids, the worse the symptoms become, according to Sevilla.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
Severe dehydration leads to dizziness, confusion, increased heart rate and low blood pressure, the physician said.
“The more severe the case of dehydration is, the more difficult it is for people to drink enough fluid to help the situation,” he said.
In cases of severe hydration, an individual may need to visit the hospital or emergency department to receive fluids via IV. (iStock)
In cases of severe hydration, the person may need to visit the hospital or emergency department to receive fluids via IV.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews/health
Both doctors emphasized the importance of being proactive and drinking water or electrolyte-containing fluids before exercising or playing sports.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE GETTING YOUR FLU SHOT, ACCORDING TO DOCTORS
Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
HOW LONG YOU’RE CONTAGIOUS WITH THE FLU — AND WHEN IT’S SAFE TO GO OUT
The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
RESEARCHERS LOCKED FLU PATIENTS IN A HOTEL WITH HEALTHY ADULTS — NO ONE GOT SICK
The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
FREQUENT HEARTBURN MAY BE A WARNING SIGN OF A MORE DANGEROUS CONDITION, DOCTOR SAYS
The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
BACTERIA IN YOUR MOUTH MAY TRAVEL TO THE GUT AND TRIGGER STOMACH CANCER, RESEARCH FINDS
After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items.
Use escape to exit the menu.
Sign Up
Create a free account to access exclusive content, play games, solve puzzles, test your pop-culture knowledge and receive special offers.
Already have an account? Login
-
Missouri7 minutes agoTwo airlifted after serious crash in Cole County
-
Montana10 minutes agoClark Fork River remains central to Missoula’s identity, conservation groups say
-
Nebraska15 minutes agoMiss Nebraska festivities kick off with opening ceremonies
-
Nevada22 minutes agoHillel of Northern Nevada Builds Community at the University
-
New Hampshire25 minutes agoNew Hampshire Pummels Altoona with 14 Runs on 18 Hits
-
New Jersey30 minutes ago‘This Cruelty is Intentional’: The New Jersey Lawmakers Fighting to Shut Down Delaney Hall
-
North Carolina35 minutes ago
Former staffer claims sexual harassment in ethics complaint against NC insurance commissioner
-
New Mexico37 minutes agoNew Mexico Highlands University president sues school
