The Water in You: Water and the Human Body

All life on, in, and above the Earth depends on water, and this is a fact. Since the majority of you is water, this is significant to you. Learn about the health benefits of water for people.

Consider what you’ll require to simply survive. Food, air, water, or Facebook? I’m going to focus on water here, of course. All living things depend heavily on water; in some organisms, up to 90% of their body weight is made up of water. Water makes up up to 60% of an adult human’s body.

According to Mitchell and others (1945), the lungs contain about 83% water, the brain contains 73% water, and the heart contains 73% water. The water content of the skin is 64%, that of the muscles and kidneys is 79%, and even that of the bones is 31%.

Humans need to drink a certain amount of water each day to survive. It goes without saying that this varies depending on an individual’s age, gender, and place of residence. A typical adult male requires about 3 liters (3.2 quarts) of fluid per day, whereas an adult female only requires about 2.2 liters (2.3 quarts) per day. Since some of the water we require is found in the food we consume, a person does not necessarily need to get all of their water from drinking liquids.

Water serves a number of essential functions to keep us all going

• Every cell’s essential nutrient first serves as a building block.
• It regulates our internal body temperature by sweating and respiration
• The carbohydrates and proteins that our bodies use as food are metabolized and transported by water in the bloodstream;
• It assists in flushing waste mainly through urination
• acts as a shock absorber for brain, spinal cord, and fetus
• forms saliva
• lubricates joints

Different people have different proportions of water in their bodies, according to Dr. Jeffrey Utz, Neuroscience, Pediatrics, Allegheny University. The majority, or about 78%, are newborns. That percentage decreases to about 65% by the age of one. About 60% of an adult man’s body is made up of water. But compared to lean tissue, fat tissue contains less water. Compared to men, adult women have more fat in their bodies, making up about 55% of their total body weight. Thus:

• More water is present in babies and children than in adults (as a percentage).
• In percentage terms, women have less water than men.
• People with more fatty tissue (measured as a percentage) have less water than those with less fatty tissue.

Without the abundance of liquid water on Earth, there simply wouldn’t be any you, me, or Fido the dog. The unique qualities and properties of water are what make it so important and basic to life. Our bodies’ cells are hydrated throughout. Our cells can utilize priceless nutrients, minerals, and chemicals in biological processes because of water’s exceptional capacity to dissolve a wide range of substances.

Water’s “stickiness” (from surface tension) plays a part in our body’s ability to transport these materials all through ourselves. The proteins and carbohydrates that our bodies use as fuel are broken down and carried by water in the bloodstream. The capacity of water to transport waste out of our bodies is no less significant.

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