human beings.
But what role does water playin our body?
A healthy sedentary adult living in a temperate climate should drink 1.5 litres of water per day. This threshold of drinking water helps to balance water losses and keep one’s body properly hydrated.
Water is a major constituent of our bodies and vital organs. It provides five vital functions in our body :
The 5 functions of water in our body includes:
Cell life
Chemical and metabolic reactions
Transport of nutrients
Body temperature regulation
Elimination of waste.
THE FUNCTIONS OF WATER.
Water is involved in many of our body’s vital
functions
1. CELL LIFE:
Water is a carrier, distributing essential nutrients to
cells, such as minerals, vitamins and glucose.
2. CHEMICAL AND METABOLIC REACTIONS:
Water removes waste products including toxins that
the organs’ cells reject, and removes them through
urines and faeces.
3. TRANSPORTATION OF NUTRIENTS:
Water participates in the biochemical break-down of
what we eat by moving nutrients to all parts of the body.
4. BODY TEMPERATURE REGULATION:
Water has a large heat capacity which helps limit
changes in body temperature in a warm or a cold
environment. Water allows the body to release heat
when ambient temperature is higher than body
temperature. The body begins to sweat, and the
evaporation of water from the skin surface very efficiently cools the body.
5. ELIMINATION OF WASTES:
Water is an effective lubricant around joints. It also
acts as a shock absorber for eyes, brain, spinal cord
and even for the foetus through amniotic fluid. Water is at the center of life. This is why
nobody can live more than 3 to 5 days without
any water intake.
Source: Montain et al. (1999). Mil Med 164 : 502-508
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