Dr. Wendi Johnson - Wednesday, August 18 2021

Quick quiz. What percentage of water makes up our bodies?  About 60 percent (78-55). The brain and heart are composed of 73 percent water and the lungs are about 83 percent water. The skin contains 64 percent water, muscles and kidneys are 79 percent, and even the bones are watery:  31 percent.

How much water does an adult need to drink on an average day? Two to three liters, more to compensate for exercise, heat, illness.

All cells need water to function. Without enough water, cells stop functioning and die. As an organism, our bodies need water for cells, but on the whole, we need water to help us regulate our body temperature. So, in a hot environment, some of that water goes to sweat to help you cool off. If you don’t replace it, then you can start to feel sick as cells then organs stop functioning. While this can take a couple days in the case of heat waves, it can also be hours in a closed-up car for a baby or toddler with no access to drinking water and the extreme heat that develops.

What does water do for you?

-          Needed by the brain to manufacture hormones and neurotransmitters

-          Regulates body temperature (sweating and respiration)

-          Acts as a shock absorber for brain and spinal cord

-          Converts food components needed for survival – digestion

-          Helps deliver oxygen all over the body

-          Forms saliva (digestion)

-          Keeps mucosal membranes moist

-          Allows body’s cells to grow, reproduce and survive

-          Flushes body waste, mainly in urine

-          Lubricates joints

-          Water is the major component of most body parts

Don’t forget to hydrate after your walk.

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