Water is the basis of all life activities. Water is the substance that the human body relies on to maintain the most basic life activities, and is listed as an important macronutrient in nutrition. However, water is also a nutrient that is easily overlooked by people. Since drinking water is a matter of course, people often ignore its importance.
Water is the most abundant substance in the human body, accounting for more than 50% of an adult\’s weight. For a baby before one year old, the water content accounts for 75% of the baby\’s weight. %. Water cannot directly provide energy to the human body like protein, fat and carbohydrates, but it is a more important substance than these nutrients for life activities. Without water supply, the human body can only survive for a few days, and without other nutrients, the human body can survive for weeks to years. Therefore, there is no life without water.
As the saying goes: With enough water, all diseases can be cured. Therefore, people must consciously replenish water every day, especially the elderly, who are less sensitive to water loss and should pay more attention to drinking water in a timely and appropriate manner.
Drinking water is a way for living organisms to absorb water through the mouth. The human body absorbs approximately 2 liters of liquid through the mouth every day. Water is mainly absorbed in the stomach. After entering the human body, water is mainly used to replenish intracellular and extracellular fluids and participate in various physiological activities of the human body. Therefore, drinking water is an important part of maintaining the metabolism of a living body.
Water demand is mainly affected by factors such as age, ambient temperature, and physical activity. The amount of urine excreted by the human body in a day is about 1500 ml, plus the water lost from feces, breathing and skin, the total water consumption is about 2500 ml. Therefore, a healthy adult needs about 2500 ml of water every day, including drinking water. It accounts for about 50%, the water contained in food is about 40%, and the water produced by metabolism in the body accounts for 10%. Lightly physically active adults living in mild climates should drink at least 1200ml of water per day. Under conditions of high temperature or strenuous physical labor, the amount should be increased appropriately. You should also drink more water when you are sick, especially when you have a fever, because your metabolism speeds up by about 7% for every 1° increase in body temperature.
When dehydrated, in addition to feeling thirsty, dry skin, cleft lips, weakness, oliguria, dizziness, headaches, etc. may also occur. In severe cases, mental symptoms such as fever and irritability may also occur. Insufficient water can lead to functional disorders such as gastrointestinal digestion, blood transportation of nutrients, and body fluid concentration regulation. It can also cause back pain, degenerative knee joint disease, arthritis and other diseases.
Excessive drinking water will cause excessive loss of salt in the human body, and may cause dizziness, weakness,Symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, and in severe cases, convulsions, disturbance of consciousness, and coma may occur, which is water intoxication. However, excessive water in the body or water intoxication rarely occurs in normal people. It is more common in people with abnormal liver, kidney, and heart functions.
If you don’t know whether you are drinking too much or too little water, here is a tip. You can judge based on the color of your urine. Generally speaking, human urine is light yellow. If the color is too light, it may be due to drinking too much water. If the color is dark, it means that more water is needed.
