Why Is Water Important? Reasons to Drink Up
Drinking enough water is essential for keeping your skin hydrated, which helps prevent dryness and irritation. It’s also vital for maintaining healthy blood pressure and kidney function. In addition, drinking plenty of water will help keep your digestive system functioning properly.
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Health Benefits of Water Backed by Scientific Research
Drinking enough water helps keep your skin looking younger, keeps your hair shiny and strong, and may even help prevent some types of cancer. It’s easy to forget to drink enough water, so here are some tips to remember.
Water Protects Your Tissues Spinal Cord and Joints
The body contains approximately 60 percent water by weight. It’s essential to keep this fluid level high because it helps regulate blood pressure, keeps organs functioning properly, and protects against dehydration. Water also plays a role in maintaining healthy joints and bones. In fact, if you don’t drink enough water, you may experience joint pain and stiffness.
Water Helps Your Body Remove Waste
The kidneys filter blood and remove excess fluid, salts, and toxins through urine. If you don’t drink enough water, this process will slow down, which can lead to dehydration. Dehydration causes fatigue, headaches, constipation, and muscle cramps. It can also cause kidney stones, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Water Aids in Digestion
Drinking enough water helps keep your digestive system functioning properly. It also helps prevent constipation by keeping stool soft and liquid. And if you’re trying to lose weight, drinking plenty of water will help you feel fuller longer and avoid overeating.
Water Helps Your Brain Function Optimally
The brain uses 20 percent of our total energy intake, so if we don’t drink enough water, we risk dehydration. Dehydration leads to fatigue, headaches, dizziness, and cognitive impairment. It can also lead to heart problems and kidney damage.
Water Keeps Your Cardiovascular System Healthy
A healthy cardiovascular system depends on having enough blood flow through your arteries. If you don’t drink enough water, this can lead to high cholesterol levels and heart disease. Drinking plenty of water helps flush toxins from your body, which may reduce inflammation and lower your risk of developing cardiovascular problems.
How Much Water Do You Need?
The recommended daily intake (RDI) for adults is between 1.7 and 2 liters per day. This is based on the fact that most people don’t drink enough water during the day. If you’re exercising regularly, you may need more than this amount.
Here are just a few important ways water works in your body
Water helps regulate blood pressure, keep your immune system strong, protect against heart disease, and even help you lose weight!
Water in our bodies
The most obvious way water affects us is through hydration. But we don’t just need water to stay healthy; we also need it to perform certain bodily functions. For example, water helps keep your skin soft and supple, which makes it easier to breathe and prevents infections. It also keeps your muscles strong so they can move properly. And if you drink enough water, it will flush toxins from your system.
Water in our food
Water is found naturally in foods like fruits and vegetables, milk, meat, fish, eggs, and cheese. It’s also added to processed foods like breads, cereals, soups, sauces, and condiments. The amount of water in food varies depending on what type of food it is. For example, a slice of bread has about 10 percent water by volume, while a cup of broth has around 60 percent.
Recommended dietary fluid intake
The recommended daily amount of fluid varies by age and activity level. For adults, the recommendation is 2 liters (0.5 US gallons) per day. This includes both drinking and sweating. If you exercise regularly, drink at least 1.2 liters (0.3 US gallons) per hour during exercise.
How much fluid to drink each day
The amount of water you should consume depends on your age, gender, activity level, and whether you’re trying to lose or gain weight. Most people require between 2 and 3 liters (about 6 to 9 cups) of water per day. For most adults, this means drinking at least eight glasses of water per day. If you’re active, you may want to increase your intake by 1 to 2 cups.