Water – Key to Healthy Living
June 18, 2009
To stay healthy we must drink adequate amount of water every day. But often we are confused about the exact volume of water, which we should drink each day.
Water benefits
Nearly sixty percent of body weight is comprised of water. Water is needed to eliminate toxins from our body. Water is required to help deliver nutrients to the cells and tissues of our body. Water is also needed to keep our throat, nose and ear moist. It lubricates the joints of the body. To regulate our body temperature we need water. Water also eases bowel movement, preventing constipation. Inadequate water content in our body slackens the regular functions of different body organs.
Water lost from body
It is not possible to prescribe the exact volume of water needed by the body. Water requirement varies according to climatic changes, general health of individual and physical activities of a person. Our body constantly loses water through perspiration, urination, bowel movement and breathing. An adult human loses about 1 ½ liters of water each day through urination. In addition, approximately one liter of water is lost through perspiration, breathing and bowel movement. In the hot humid days, our body loses far greater amount of water through sweating.
Water need
On a normal day, a healthy adult body needs at least two liters of water each day. This means that you must drink at least eight glasses of water every day. We get approximately twenty percent of our water requirement through our food. During summer, you should drink more amount of water to replenish water lost through sweating. To stay healthy, the amount of water you consume each day should produce 1.9 liters of urine each day.
During pregnancy, a woman should consume at least 2.3 liters of water. During breast-feeding, consumption of water should increase to at least 3.1 liters per day. Water intake should be increased during certain illnesses. Our body loses lots of water during fever, diarrhea and vomiting. Sometimes doctors prescribe increasing water consumption to flash out urinary tract stones and for curing bladder infections.
However, consumption of water should be limited during several types of kidney problems, liver and adrenal diseases and heart failure.
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