Patrice Dunagin

Everyone needs to consume an adequate amount of water to stay healthy. That amount can vary depending on a person’s age, health and activity level. Nutrients are those elements from food and drink that perform a sustaining and metabolic function when taken inside our bodies. Essential nutrients must be supplied from an outside source because they cannot be made by the body in sufficient amounts. Water is an essential nutrient. Without it, human life cannot survive. Water deprivation kills faster than lack of any other nutrient.

Water is the medium by which other nutrients and essential elements are distributed throughout the body. It also works as the transport for body waste removal. Without this transport of supplies, the body factory would stop.

The presence of water in and around body tissues helps defend the body against shock. The brain, eyes and spinal cord are among the sensitive structures that depend on a protective water layer. Water is present in the mucous and salivary juices of our digestive systems. This is especially important for moving food through the digestive tract. As a lubricant, water also is helpful for smooth movement of bone joints.

The digestion of protein and carbohydrates to usable and absorbable forms depends on water as part of the chemical reaction. Water also regulates body temperature. Our health and well-being are dependent on keeping body temperature within a very narrow range. The human body, which is made of 60 to 75 percent water, serves this function quite well. Water changes temperature slowly and helps regulate body temperature by serving as a good heat storage material.

Evaporation of water from body surfaces also helps cool the body. Sweat loss that is barely noticeable occurs every day and night. Individuals may lose up to a pint of water each day in this manner. In hot, humid weather or during exercise, increased sweating and losses of water are more visible.

Each day, water losses are balanced with water intake. The body has a sophisticated system that works to maintain water balance. Few of us ever experience malfunctioning of this system. Thirst is a trigger that reminds us to take in more water. At the same time, our kidneys regulate urinary output.

Unlike many of the nutrients, there isn’t a specific daily recommendation for water intake. Part of the reason is the variability in individuals related to the climate in which they live, physical activity, age, state of health and body size. Under typical circumstances, adults may replenish up to 6 or 8t cups of fluid each day.

Typical water output is two quarts or more of water each day. Water losses in urine account for about three-fourths of daily losses. Remaining losses come from sweat, as tiny water droplets in the air we exhale, and through feces. Infrequent urination or dark yellow urine may indicate you could use more fluid intake each day.

 

For more information contact Patrice Dunagin, Smith County FCS Agent for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, at 903-590-2980.