Water, An Important Nutrient
Nutrients are those elements from food and drink that perform a sustaining or 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.
If water is something you rarely think about, you are not alone. It is seldom considered a nutrient. Many people don't realize the important part water plays in major body functions. Water is a vital link to life!
Water serves as the body's transportation system. It is the medium by which other nutrients and essential elements are distributed throughout the body. Without this transport of supplies the body factory would stop. Water also works as the transport for body waste removal.
Water is a lubricant. The presence of water in and around body tissues helps defend the body against shock. The brain, eyes and spinal cord are among the body's 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. Persons who experience reduced salivary output soon will realize that foods taste differently and are harder to swallow. As a lubricant, water also is helpful for smooth movement of bone joints.
Water participates in the body's biochemical reactions. The digestion of protein and carbohydrates to usable and absorbable forms depends on water as part of the chemical reaction.
Water 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 60-75 percent water, serves this function quite well. Water itself changes temperature slowly and is able to help 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.
Is There a Daily Requirement?
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 you live, physical activity, age, state of health and body size. There is a formula that is offered. For every kilo of body weight, you should consume 40ml of water. That means if you are 50 kilos, 2 litres of water per day is suggested.
Typical water output is 1.8 litres 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 be an indication you could use more fluid intake each day.
Headaches are often caused by lack of water in the system. Brain capillaries are extremely fine and when your blood becomes thick it cannot pump through them. That can make you sluggish and sleepy (as your brain is starved of oxygen) and you can also get headaches.
So if I was asked 'what is the most important nutrient' I would declare that it is water!
posted by Don McNicol | 7:29 PM
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