Alex Trelinski
A HIGH-PROFILE Spanish doctor who made her name talking about improving people’s lives has come up with a tip if you are about to go for a blood test.
Dr. Isabel Viña, 31, suggests drinking a little of water beforehand will improve the test results,
Viña- an expert in food supplements with over 300,000 social media followers- says drinking just 200 to 250 millilitres of water ‘can make all the difference’.
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Besides boosting hydration, it can also prevent dizziness and make the injection process easier especially for people with difficult veins or who tend to get nervous.
The normal practice before going to a health centre or hospital for a blood test is strict fasting but Viña argues that maintaining a minimal level of hydration improves the reliability of the results.
The doctor says that being dehydrated can cause elements of the test to come out wrong.
She states that hematocrit, which measures the proportion of red blood cells, can be logged at a higher level.
Other key indicators such as sodium, creatinine or the glomerular filtration rate are all higher if people go ‘dry’ into a blood test.
The concern is that the figures could be misinterpreted and that a repeat test could be then be required- causing more hassle and delays.
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