Some well-known causes of water retention include heart or kidney problems. These are due to a reduced ability of the heart or kidneys to do their job, and can cause severe swelling of the legs and ankles.

Weak circulation in the leg veins is probably the most common cause of water retention in legs and ankles. This occurs in pregnancy and causes swellings like those shown in the video. In older people this problem may also result in varicose veins.

A blockage or congestion of the lymphatic system can cause a type of water retention known as lymphoedema (lymphedema), which is common after some types of surgery, for instance. People who spend a lot of time immobile, e.g. those in hospital beds, wheelchairs, or on long-haul flights, even “couch potatoes” can develop water retention because without regular movement, it is difficult for your lymphatic system to drain excess fluid out of your tissues.

Premenstrual water retention is also common, and is caused by the hormonal changes of the menstrual cycle.

Salt

One of the main causes of water retention is eating too much salty food. The main component of salt is sodium, which the body dilutes with water if too much of it is present. Salt makes you thirsty, and your body will hold on to this water. Reducing the amount of salt in your diet will help you to release a little water retention but not usually more than about 2 lbs in weight. Even a relatively salty diet, although it can be harmful in many ways, will not normally cause gross water retention.

Lesser-known Causes

Hormones and Medicines

High levels of certain hormones can also make your body hold on to water. These include insulin, which is needed to process sugar; cortisone, which is produced when you are under stress; and the female hormones oestrogen (estrogen) and progesterone. The water-retaining effect is caused by the effects which these hormones have on sodium levels in your body, and on the hormones which govern how your kidneys work. Certain prescribed medicines such as the contraceptive pill and some painkillers can affect levels of these hormones.

Water retention which is caused by hormones can be spread around the body but often affects your tummy most of all. Women can also get water retention in the breasts, which causes breast tenderness and swelling.

Wastes and Toxins

Cellulite, which mostly affects women’s thighs, is a form of fat complexed with retained water. Sometimes it holds so much water that it is swollen and painful to the touch. Metabolic wastes and toxins such as pesticides which the body cannot easily release tend to be stored in this fat. It is thought the causes of the water retention in cellulite are either irritation and swelling due to these toxins, or results from the body’s attempt to dilute them.

Low-Calorie Diets

If you have water retention you are very likely to be overweight. But overweight people tend to go on a low-calorie diet. A low-calorie diet will unfortunately not get rid of water retention – it can actually make it worse, especially if you eat less than 1,200 Calories a day for months or years. This is because you may not have enough protein in your blood to draw excess water out of your tissues. This type of water retention can cause generalised puffiness but if severe can give you a swollen tummy.

Histamine

Histamine causes water retention leading to bloating and tummy swelling. If you have ever been stung by an insect or developed an itchy red lump after a mosquito bite, you will be familiar with the effects of histamine. Histamine widens the joins between the cells which line your smallest blood vessels, known as your capillaries. This makes them leak both water and protein into your “tissue spaces” – the area surrounding the cells of tissues such as flesh, organs and intestines. If the protein cannot be removed from your tissue spaces, it will stay there, attracting water.

Poor digestion and taking antibiotics can cause changes in your intestines which lead to a lot of histamine being produced in this area. Sometimes eating yoghurt and probiotics can help to reduce this problem, but if it has been going on for some time these measures may not be effective on their own.

Drinking less fluid will not cure water retention. One of the causes of water retention is dehydration due to not drinking enough water.

Many types of water retention can respond to dietary measures. The Waterfall Diet has been designed by British nutritionist Linda Lazarides to help release excess water weight as quickly as possible. It can also help to treat health problems associated with water retention, such as swollen legs, arthritis, high blood pressure and PMS. (More information.)

Causes Of Water Retention is a post from: Water-Retention.Net

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Consuming too much salty food or drink may cause some water retention, but not necessarily a lot.

You may be eating more salt than you realise. Lots of convenience foods, and even common foods like bread, contain salt without even tasting salty.

The active ingredient in salt which causes water retention is sodium. Sodium is not just found in salt, it is also in baking powder (used to make cakes) and in flavour-enhancing additives such as monosodium glutamate (MSG). It’s quite hard to avoid consuming excessive salt or excessive sodium if you regularly eat convenience foods.

If you have water retention and are really determined to reduce salt and sodium, then eating unprocessed foods and making as many of your own foods as possible will help. That way you know exactly how much salt is in your food, because you have to add it yourself.

Salt is one of the causes of water retention, but is not the only one. For most people the maximum amount of water retention which they could expect to lose by changing to a low salt / low sodium diet is probably about 2 lbs. However some people are more salt-sensitive than others and may notice that their water retention gets significantly worse if they eat salty food.

If you have any experience of this we’d like to hear from you – do leave us a comment.

Salt And Water Retention is a post from: Water-Retention.Net

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Some years ago I was consulted by a lady called Sally who had been told she had psoriatic arthritis. This is a combination of painful joints (in Sally’s case her fingers) and a skin disease known as  psoriasis, which makes patches of your skin red and unsightly.

Since painful joints are often caused by water retention, I thought it was likely that the same metabolic imbalance in her body was causing both the water retention and the psoriasis and that maybe both could be helped with the Waterfall Diet. So I put Sally on the Waterfall Diet on a trial basis, and waited to see what would happen.

I was really expecting Sally’s condition to improve, but when she returned after two weeks, her joint pains were as bad as ever. Then I discovered that Sally had unknowingly been cheating on the diet. While she knew that for the first few weeks she was not allowed to eat salt, I had forgotten to tell her that smoked fish has a high salt content. Sally loved these and had been eating them every day.

Sally loved anything salty. She had always sprinkled her food liberally with salt even when the food was already salted. Unsalted food would get a double helping.

Sally spent a very unhappy few days eating food which she did not much enjoy at all, but she soon gained the tremendous benefit of pain-free fingers. She felt so much better that it became quite easy for her to stick to the diet.

Sally also lost 3 lbs in water weight very quickly. Salt plays a key role in your fluid balance because it dictates how your kidneys behave. The salt in Sally’s diet was interfering with her kidneys and the resulting water retention was making her fingers hurt.

Water Retention And Psoriatic Arthritis is a post from: Water-Retention.Net

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