Foods and drinks that cause swelling

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Alexander Sozykin, associate professor at the Department of Physiology and Biomedical Knowledge at the Faculty of Science of the Russian Educational University, revealed foods and drinks that can cause edema.

Sozykin says: “The main reason for the appearance of edema in a healthy person during warm and hot weather is a disturbance in the water-salt metabolism balance indicator, which is responsible for the osmotically active substances - sodium and potassium. Sodium ions retain water in the cells and intercellular fluid, and potassium removes it. Therefore, a number of Foods and liquids with a high salt content, as well as products containing food additives, preservatives and flavor enhancers - which also contain sodium, can cause edema in healthy people in hot weather. These substances are sausages, cheese, biscuits, canned meat and fish, and sauces Potato chips, snacks and fast food.

In addition, edema can be caused by foods containing a large amount of carbohydrates: dried fruits, cookies, cakes and pastries. Because the body stores carbohydrates in the liver and muscles in the form of glycogen, each gram of which is bound to 3-4 grams of water, which consequently leads to “extra” water with sugars entering the cells, causing edema inside them.

According to him, this same mechanism causes swelling in cells and tissues when consuming soft drinks, energy drinks, some bottled juices, and watermelon in large quantities. Swelling can also occur as a result of eating dairy products that contain a lot of sodium, such as cheese. Eating cottage cheese also causes the production of excessive amounts of insulin, which is linked to the hormone aldosterone, which is responsible for fluid retention.

And of course, drinking alcohol, especially beer, even though it is considered a diuretic. But removing fluids from the body leads to an imbalance in the salt solution, causing a feeling of thirst, which a person compensates for by drinking a large amount of water that reaches the tissues and causes them to swell.

According to him, to avoid swelling you must follow a balanced diet, avoiding foods high in carbohydrates, sodium and dairy products. Drink up to one and a half liters of pure water and fruit juice and add foods containing potassium and dietary fiber to the diet.