Biologic Age Up for Those With Serum Sodium >142 mmol/L

TUESDAY, Jan. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Individuals with middle-age serum sodium >142 mmol/L have an increased risk for being older than chronologic age, developing chronic diseases, and premature mortality, according to a study published online Jan. 2 in eBioMedicine.

Natalia I. Dmitrieva, from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues examined whether optimal hydration slows the aging process in humans in a cohort analysis of data from 15,752 participants aged 45 to 66 years at enrollment in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, with 25 years of follow-up. Serum sodium was used as a proxy for hydration habits. Biological age was calculated from age-dependent biomarkers to estimate the relative speed of aging.

The researchers found that the risk for developing chronic diseases was increased with middle-age serum sodium >142 mmol/L (hazard ratio, 1.39), and the risk for premature mortality was increased with serum sodium >144 mmol/L (hazard ratio, 1.21). The odds of being older than their chronological age was increased for people with serum sodium >142 mmol/L (odds ratio, 1.50). An increased risk for chronic diseases and premature mortality was seen in association with higher biological age (hazard ratios, 1.70 and 1.59, respectively).

"Worldwide surveys find that more than 50 percent of people do not drink the recommended amounts of fluids," the authors write. "Therefore, results of our study provide additional reasons for reinforcing already existent recommendations for optimal fluid intake."

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