Dehydration
Water makes up approximately 60 percent of the body’s total weight. Nearly every process essential to life requires the use of water (Ellsbury, 2006). Water also plays a vital role in most bodily functions. Water acts as a solvent for numerous substances in the body, both organic and inorganic. Water also aids in the production of digestive juices, the transportation of digested foods and oxygen throughout the body, and the circulation of blood. Cells would not survive without water since it delivers oxygen and nutrients to them. Water also enables the excretion of soluble wastes from the body and maintains the temperature of the body. All of these processes and functions are essential to a person’s health (Kendall, 2003). Without water, maintaining a healthy body would not be possible.
Water carries out many functions in the body. Tissues such as those in the mouth, eyes, and nose are kept moist by water. Water also protects body organs and tissues. Water aids in dissolving minerals and nutrients to help the body absorb and use them easily. It also carries the nutrients and oxygen to all the cells in our body. Water regulates our body temperature, assists the kidneys and liver in flushing out waste products, prevents constipation, maintains the flow of lymphatic fluid and helps to defend the body against infections. Water also helps to lubricate our joints, thereby protecting our body from injuries (Kendall, 2003). Organs such as the heart, kidneys, and brains require water in order to function. The functions of our blood pressure are controlled by the force of blood (which is mostly water), against the inside walls of our blood vessels, plus our vessels' resistance to blood flow, create blood pressure (Ellsbury, 2006).
In order to stay healthy, everyone should drink at least eight glasses of water each day (Mehlberg, 2001). If a person fails to consume an adequate amount of water or does not drink enough to replace the amount of fluids lost,...
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