Causes of body water retention depend on a wide range of factors including a high salt intake, as a reaction to hot weather, gravity, nutritional deficiencies, There are two main categories of water retention, generalized edema, and localized edema. Generalized edema refers to swelling that occurs throughout the body while localized edema refers to the swelling in specific parts of the body. It is very common for even healthy adults to experience weight fluctuations due to water retention, which accounts for many day-to-day fluctuations on the scale. While most people can retain up to five pounds of "hidden" water weight within the natural fluid that surrounds cells, known as extracellular fluid, those who are overweight or suffer from obesity people may retain up to eight to ten pounds. Water retention problems arise when fluid is not removed by the lymph system properly; it is retained in the body tissues where it causes swelling (edema). Water retention in the body is most common in the feet and legs, but it can occur in the hands, arms, abdominal cavity (ascites) and around the lungs (known as pulmonary edema).
Symptoms of Water Retention
- Feeling of puffiness, especially the feet, ankles, and legs
- Appearance of shiny stretched skin
- Dimples/indentations upon pressing the skin
- Swollen, stiff and painful joints
- Headaches
- A bloated or enlarged abdomen
- Breathing difficulties
- Decreased flexibility of the joints (ankles, wrists, and fingers)
- Sudden or rapid weight gain
- Shortness of breath, chest pain, redness or heat in the swollen edematous.
For a healthy body weight, It is presumed that all Nutritional Levels of Minerals and Vitamins have been corrected at Intracellular Levels and also brought to an optimum value.