Water nutrition is essential for an active body

Water nutrition is the most essential need of an active and  aesthetically pleasing body. / ph: pexels

1. Why is water nutrition important?

 Water is the main component of the human body, participating in all functions of the body and accounting for 50-75% of your body weight.  Water is colorless, odorless and tasteless, it is an inorganic (carbon-free) substance consisting of two hydrogen atoms linked to one oxygen atom, helping you maintain body temperature, and metabolize fats in the body, aids digestion, lubricates and buffers organs, transports nutrients and removes toxins from the body.  Although it contains no calories, water is the vehicle for most of the chemical reactions in the body, especially the metabolic reactions involved in energy production.  The body uses water nutrition as a coolant, which helps regulate muscle temperature during exercise, fever, and in hot environments.  Water also acts as a buffer between joints, in the spinal cord and in the brain.

2. Water nutrition value

 Purified water contains zero calories and is not a source of fat, protein or carbohydrates. While purified water does not contain any additional nutrients, water generally absorbs certain minerals and introduces them to the muscle.  For example, tap water - especially hard water - can provide calcium and magnesium. Bottled mineral water can also contain these and other minerals, including sodium.

 Every cell, tissue, or organ needs water to function properly.  Water transports nutrients and oxygen to cells, provides an environment for chemical reactions to take place, helps remove waste products, helps maintain a stable body temperature and keeps tissues in the skin, moist mouth, eyes and nose.

3. How is water stored in the body?

 Water is stored in intracellular fluid (ICF) and extracellular fluid (ECF) compartments.  ICF accounts for about 65% of the body water while ECF (35%) is plasma and lymphatic (a transparent, yellowish liquid carrying lymphocytes), serving as a transport vehicle for waste and nutrition substances throughout the body.  Minerals such as chloride, potassium, and sodium are involved in maintaining ICF and ECF levels, a process governed by hormone messages from the brain and kidneys.  If any molecule becomes too concentrated in one compartment of liquid, it pulls water from the other to dilute itself.  For example, eating pizza often makes a person thirsty, this is because sodium from pizza sauce and cheese builds up in the ECF, pulling water from the ICF.  The cell sensor detects this change and signals it to be dehydrated.  The brain signals more water to drink.  So whenever any of the molecular is too concentrated in one compartment (ICF or ECF), the brain signals the body to drink more water until the cavity is properly diluted for endothelium equilibrium.  If more fluid is desired in the cells, the kidneys will proceed to make urine by filtering excess fluid from the blood.

4. Water nutrition to sustain life

 The body works to maintain water balance through mechanisms such as the feeling of thirst. When the body needs more water, the brain stimulates the nerve centers in the brain to encourage a person to drink more water. 

 The kidneys are responsible for maintaining the homeostasis of body water (i.e., water balance) through the elimination of waste and excess water. Water is absorbed mainly through the digestive tract and excreted by the kidneys in the form of urine.

 For a normal adult, a minimum daily amount of water between 700-800 ml is needed to respond to dehydration and maintain the body's water balance.  To protect against dehydration and the development of kidney stones should consume more than 1.5-2 liters of water per day.

The demand for water nutrition is increased by:

 - Exercise, water is lost through sweat.

 - The climate is hot and humid.

 - Altitude, breathing rate twice as fast as sea level.  At high altitudes, most dehydration is caused by breathing, not sweat.