Need a reason to drink water? Water is essential to good health—and
life. Up to 60 percent of an adult’s body weight and about 74 percent of a
newborn’s body weight is water, making it the largest single substance in the
human body.
Here's what water does for you:
- It helps carry nutrients to all the cells in your body.
- It helps carry waste products from the cells.
- It is a part of essential reactions within the body.
- It helps regulate body temperature by absorbing heat generated by your metabolism and eliminating excess heat through sweating.
- It helps with digestion of food.
- It helps lubricate your joints.
Your body must balance the amount of water lost with the
amount it gets from food and beverages. About 80 percent of the water you take
in comes from the water and beverages you drink; the remaining 20 percent comes
from food. A small amount of water also is produced when your body metabolizes
foods.
How much water do you need? That depends on your age,
percent of body fat, general health, diet, temperature of the air around you
and your level of activity. You lose water through urine, sweat, feces, and the
air you exhale.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) suggests that the average
healthy woman drink about nine cups a day of liquids, and the average man about
13 cups a day.
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Basu Joshi
