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Edema can occur for many reasons, there is no single cause. The legs, feet, and other parts of the body swell when too much fluid builds up in the tissues. Symptoms worsen when we drink too little water, our diets lack protein and potassium, and when we overuse s alt and alcohol. Find out what the mechanism of edema formation is and how to fight them.

Edemais nothing more than disturbed water transport in the body. As much as 2/3 of the water in the human body is closed inside the cells, and 1/3 is outside the cells: it is a component of plasma from blood and lymph and interstitial fluid contained in all tissues. It iswater retentionin the intercellular space that causesswellingand edema. When we are he althy, we eat properly, we do not stay in extreme conditions, and the correct proportions between the amount of water in the plasma and that in the interstitial fluid are maintained. There is approx. 3 liters of water in the plasma of an adult human, and approx. 12 liters in the intercellular space in tissues.

Edema is an imbalance in the body

This balance is regulated by two types of pressure: hydrostatic (due to the weight of the liquid) and oncotic (the pressure caused by proteins present in the blood plasma). Hydrostatic pressure "pushes" the fluid from the vessels into the tissues, and oncotic pressure tends to retain it. As a result of these pressures, water and soluble components leave the vessels and enter the tissues, and the waste products are removed from them. Any change in one of the pressures disrupts water transport and can cause swelling. For example, if the body lacks proteins, the oncotic pressure is reduced, preventing the fluid from escaping from the vessels - fluid enters the tissues and swelling occurs. Likewise, when we use too much s alt - it greatly increases the hydrostatic pressure which causes water to leak out of the dishes. Edema may also be the result of damage to the endothelium of blood vessels - the permeability of the walls of veins and arteries increases and water penetrates more easily into the tissues.

Why am I swelling? The cause of the swelling may be dehydration, lack of protein or potassium, heat, s alt and alcohol

Although swelling and swelling in different parts of the body have many causes, the mechanism behind them isone - a change in the balance between hydrostatic and oncotic pressure. Diet contributes to this. This balance may be disturbed, for example, by then, when

  • we drink little water, the body stores it in the interstitial space to avoid dehydration;
  • we lack protein (lean meat and cottage cheese, legumes) or potassium (tomatoes, green vegetables, carrots);
  • it is hot: this is when the veins dilate and the blood stays in the vessels in the lower parts of the body;
  • we abuse alcohol, we like s alty foods, we eat products that contain flavor enhancers.

CHECK>>what diseases can cause edema. monthly "Zdrowie"

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