Importance of Water for Health
The subject of water and health is vital. Humans can live for 5 minutes without breathing, 6 days without drinking water, and 40 days without eating. Water is the most critical food for life.
Depending on age and gender, approximately 65% of an individual is water, although it varies in small amounts. When evaluated based on an adult weighing 70 kg, this individual’s body contains approximately 45 kg of water.
• When water loss in the human body reaches 1-1.5%, thirst, irregular movement, loss of appetite, increased rectal temperature, impatience, fatigue and increased heart rhythm are observed.
• When water loss reaches 6-7%, headache, difficulty breathing, difficulty speaking and difficulty remembering occur.
• If an individual loses 8% of their water, that is, approximately 3.6 kilograms, irregularities begin to occur in their bodily functions and cause death.
Functions of Water in the Body
1. Water is used as a building material in the body. Approximately 75% of muscles, 25% of bone tissue, 20% of fat tissue and 10% of dental tissue are made up of water. Therefore, water consumption significantly affects body structure.
2. Water acts as a carrier in the body. Regarding cell biology, nutrients, hormones, enzymes and wastes produced from cell activities are transported by water.
Similarly, water acts as a solvent and carrier in our body secretions such as saliva. Regarding tissue biology, water also acts as a carrier in the digestive and excretory systems. Digestion and excretion cannot be thought of without water.
3. Water plays a vital role in regulating body temperature. Excess heat is removed through sweating when the body rises above normal temperature. The reason we sweat when we exert intense effort is that the body tries to remove excess heat with water.
We want to drink cold water in hot weather because the body seeks to balance the heat with the cold water it takes. Likewise, the desire to drink hot drinks in cold weather is due to the body wanting to maintain its heat balance with the heat contained in the drink.
4. Water protects the body against pressure and impact. Water prevents the adverse effects of abrasion and friction by lubrication in joints, mobile organs such as the eyes and eyelids, and internal organs. In addition, it protects against possible external impacts by surrounding organism structures, as in the case of the brain and the fetus.
How Much Water Should You Drink Per Day?
Short Answer: Healthy individuals should drink between 1-3 liters of water daily, depending on age, gender, body structure and daily activity intensity. Generally, this value is 1.5-2 liters for young and adult women and 2-2.5 liters for men. However, an individual must know approximately how much water they should drink according to their characteristics. For example, for an individual who needs to drink approximately 2.5 liters of water daily, drinking 1.5 liters daily would not be the correct behavior regarding healthy nutrition. The amount of water an individual should consume daily, depending on age, gender, body structure, and daily activity intensity, is explained in detail below.
The body meets its daily water needs from 3 sources. In general, the daily water requirement;
1. 50% from drinking water and water-based beverages,
2. 35% from food (For detailed information about the amount of water found in food, see Water in Foods; Forms, Characteristics and Importance)
3. 15% is provided by water produced from metabolic activities. As a result of metabolic activities, the body produces approximately 300 mL of water per day.
The amount of water needed per day is usually calculated based on the energy spent by the individual in their daily activities. A healthy adult spends approximately 1000-2500 calories of energy per day in basal metabolic activities. At this point, the body requires approximately 1 mL of water for each calorie spent. Therefore, the amount of water a healthy adult needs on a day at rest is 1.5-2.5 liters. (For detailed information about basal metabolism and the amount of energy the body spends in activities, see Energy Metabolism – II; Energy Expended in the Body)
The activities performed by individuals in daily life will increase the energy they spend and the amount of water they need. The table below shows the energy spent in some activities and the water loss that occurs as a result of these activities;
The amount of energy spent daily by an individual working at a desk job and the amount of water needed daily depending on gender, age and body structure are as follows;
(The data in the table are given on average values and specific scales. Therefore, the individual can calculate their water needs according to age and weight by making a ratio based on this table.)
Let’s examine the amount of water an individual needs to consume based on an example based on the information given;
• The amount of water a healthy male who is 35 years old, weighs 80 kilograms and works at a desk job needs as a result of a daily activity is seen in the table as approximately 2.2 liters.
• If this individual performs 1 hour of walking, 1 hour of cooking and 2 hours of watching television in addition to his daily work, his body will lose approximately 2 liters of water due to these activities.
• Therefore, the individual’s daily water need will be 4.2 liters. Since the body will meet 50% of this need from water and water-based beverages, 35% from food and 15% from water produced in metabolism, this individual needs to drink at least 2.1 liters of water for that day.
It is helpful to pay attention to the following points regarding water consumption;
1. In water consumption, care should be taken to preserve the amount of water the body has and to consume enough water to balance the amount of water excreted from the body. When thirst is felt, care should be taken to quench the thirst sufficiently. When the density of blood plasma increases by 1%, the thirst-related center in the brain is stimulated and the feeling of thirst occurs.
The point to pay attention to regarding water balance is urine color. Light yellow is the standard color of urine, and a darkening or increasing darkness of this color indicates that the body is not getting enough water.
2. As it is known, water-based beverages such as tea and coffee are very popular and consumed a lot. However, consuming these beverages to meet water needs is not appropriate. These beverages have a high diuretic effect. Drinks with high diuretic effects can relieve the feeling of thirst, but they cause more water to be excreted from the body than the amount consumed. Therefore, a healthy individual should drink as much water as they drink tea and coffee so that the body’s water balance is not disrupted.
3. The individual’s habit of frequently eating foods with low water content, such as fast food, causes them not to get enough water from food. Therefore, individuals who eat foods with low water content need to drink more water and water-based beverages.
4. Another issue that should be considered regarding water and health is that water should be drinkable and have quality standards determined for drinking water. The standards and quality criteria that drinking water should have vary depending on the country and institution in which you live. For detailed information about the quality characteristics of drinking water, see Quality Characteristics That Drinking Water Should Have
All these data and evaluations are given, considering the individual is healthy. It should be known that the need for water will increase even more in cases of vomiting, diarrhea, and similar illnesses, as well as in cases of pregnancy or heavy working conditions.
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