Did you know that 70%-80% of your body weight is water? It helps to keep the blood a liquid, metabolize fat, maintain body temperature, wash out toxins from the body, transport nutrients, lubricate and cushion organs, and a host of other benefits.

Everyone needs a minimum of 64 ounces of water per day, and more if you are physically active. Dehydration is the result of not ingesting enough water. When this happens, the body takes water from other places, like the blood.

When the body gets dehydrated, it closes down some of the capillaries. The blood becomes thicker, more likely to clot, and it is harder for the heart to pump it through the systems. This results in high blood pressure, heart disease and high cholesterol. Dehydration has also been linked to heartburn, headaches, and arthritis.

Some have estimated that as many as 75% of Americans are dehydrated. Sometimes the body might seem to be saying, “I’m hungry,” but it is really saying, “I’m thirsty.” A drink of water also might temporarily eliminate hunger pangs and help to keep body weight under control by avoiding snacking.

We get water from the fluids we drink, from the food we eat, and from metabolism. Soda, tea, or coffee are pour substitutes for pure water. In fact, these can actually increase the need for water because the caffeine in them is diuretic. This means it actually forces from the cells the water they contain as well as some essential nutrients.

Dehydration is a dangerous problem. Just a 2% drop in body weight caused by a lack of water affects the mind. A 5% drop can affect physical performance as much as 20% to 30%. A 10% drop will be evidenced in actual sickness and a 20% drop will bring death. With water being so important to our health, most people realize the importance of being sure their drinking water is pure.

Though a number of sicknesses are directly related to a lack of water, the cure is often simply to take in more water. High blood pressure, cholesterol problems, ulcers, kidney problems, stress, and headaches can sometimes be cured by drinking pure water. Drinking 64 ounces of water a day decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, of breast cancer by 79%, and of bladder cancer by 50%!

It is obviously not as option that we take in sufficient quantities of water each day. We must also make sure that water is pure and clean. Surprisingly, tap water and even bottled water may not be. Water you purify yourself through a charcoal filter is best. You can be confident 64 ounces of that will eliminate dehydration related illnesses.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 2nd, 2008 at 12:22 am and is filed under Nutrition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.