Is water good for your health and heart? At nearly every doctor's visit, your doctor should (and likely will) remind you to make sure you're drinking enough water. Why? Because drinking clean water is one of the safest and most effective ways of lowering your risk for common cardiovascular problems like heart disease.

In the U.S., heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women. More than 600,000 people die from heart disease annually, equating to roughly 1 in 4 deaths. Though there are many ways to prevent heart disease, including lowering blood pressure, diet, and exercise, a recent study by Loma Linda University Health suggests that "both men and women who drank five or more glasses of water per day had about half the risk of dying of coronary heart disease." Your fluid intake can lower your risk of a heart attack.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a serious medical condition that, if left untreated, can lead to heart disease, increase the risk of heart failure, increase your risk factor for strokes, and many other serious health conditions. According to the American Heart Association, around one-third of adults in the US suffer from hypertension, with many of them not even aware that they have it. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute states that you usually don’t have symptoms from high blood pressure until it has already caused serious health problems. A simple blood pressure test can determine whether or not you are living with hypertension or if you are in the early stages of developing it.

High cholesterol, or hyperlipidemia, also drastically increases your chance of developing the above health issues like heart disease, heart failure, or strokes. Like hypertension, many people live undiagnosed because they are not showing any of the common signs or symptoms. Evidence shows that for every decade an individual has elevated cholesterol before they are 55 years old, it increases the risk of heart-related illnesses by 40%. 

While the most common risk reduction or treatment for both hypertension and high cholesterol are changes to diet and exercise, one very easy and often overlooked change is to drink more clean water.

The human body is made up of over 60% water. Your heart has an even higher percentage of water than that, coming in at about 73% (the same ratio as the brain, actually). With many studies proving the health benefits of water when it comes to overall health, has there been a consensus on the specific effects drinking water has on the heart?

Yes, scientists are very aware of the effects of high sodium levels leading to an increased risk of heart disease. Having fewer liquids in your body results in dehydration, further rising the sodium levels in your blood. Because of this, there exists a direct relationship between healthy cholesterol levels and drinking water. If we do not drink a sufficient amount of water on a daily basis, the kidneys and other organs are unable to properly function. If the blood is to flow properly around the body, sufficient water is required, particularly following meals when the nutrients from food need to travel to the body’s cells.

If there is not enough water, the body isn’t properly able to remove excess cholesterol from the arteries, increasing the chance of developing coronary heart disease or having a stroke.

There are other factors that can lead to heart problems as well. In a recent study by the European Society of Cardiology, the study authors listed climate change as an additional stressor. “High air temperatures on single hot days and during heatwaves pose risks to health, either directly by causing dehydration or heatstroke, or indirectly via pathways such as worsening of cardiorespiratory diseases (CPD), kidney diseases, or electrolyte disorders.”

Water intake is especially important during physical activity when your heart rate is elevated. When you become dehydrated, the amount of blood circulating decreases, adding strain to your cardiovascular system. This means it has to work harder to pump blood. It’s especially important to avoid sports drinks with added sugars or energy drinks when dehydrated. These caffeinated drinks can act as a diuretic, effectively flushing water from your system. That’s NOT what your body needs and can negatively affect several bodily functions.

The main purpose of a water filter is to reduce toxins from the water you are going to consume. Most tap water contains hundreds of toxins and chemicals that standard activated carbon water filters are unable to remove (but you already know this because you chose Clearly Filtered water filters!). When a filter doesn't target various contaminants, your body becomes the filter. 

As you drink water, the water and various chemicals and toxins are absorbed into your body and into your bloodstream where they eventually hit your kidneys (the body's filters). Putting too much stress on your vital organs can lead to them not performing at optimal levels, leaving many toxins in your blood to travel throughout your body and into your other organs. 

This proves the need for an impressive and effective water filter. If studies show that drinking more water per day can significantly lower your chance of heart disease, why wouldn't you take it upon yourself to drink the highest quality water? Drinking water that is riddled with chemicals and toxins, or using an inferior water filter, creates a new problem while you attempt to solve the first one.

The next question, if you believe you have a robust water filter (like Clearly Filtered), is to ask yourself if you are changing your filter often enough. It is crucial for the filter to be changed in a timely manner in order to ensure you are always filtering toxins and contaminants that could cause harm to your body over time.

If you’ve never realized that water and heart health were interlinked, you certainly aren’t alone. The good news is that even out of those who had no idea there was a connection, most know the importance of maintaining a good hydration status so it’s likely that many of us were getting plenty of water anyway. Still, now you’re aware of the association, you can use Clearly Filtered’s line of high quality filters to make doubly sure to drink those 8 glasses of water each and every day, not just for your overall well-being, but to protect your heart too.