WATER : LIFE’S MAIN SOURCE

Man does not live by food alone. Water is vital to human health and fitness. Although it is not a nutrient per se as are carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitains and minerals. It, in fact, is a key nutrient in as much as no life is possible without it. Whereas we can do for weeks without food, we cannot live without water longer than a couple of days. Water approximates 60 per cent of the body weight of human adults. The total amount of water in a man weighing 70 kilograms is approximately a little over 40 litres. It is an excellent solvent – more substances are soluble in water than in any other liquid known so far. This makes it an ideal constituent of the body fluids which sustain life supporting chemical reactions. It dissolves varied products of digestion and transports them to the rest of the body. Likewise, it dissolves diverse metabolic wastes and helps drain them out of the body. Besides, it performs a variety of functions – some well-known and well understood while others not so well appreciated yet vital. The no less important role of water is to distribute/dissipate the body heat efficiently, thereby regulating the body’s temperature. Water accomplishes this role ideally because it has thermal conductivity ensuring rapid heat from one part to the other. Above all, water has a high-specific heat, implying that it takes a lot of heat to raise the temperature of water and likewise much heat must be lost to lower its temperature. Drinking a lot of water is an inexpensive way to stay healthy. Even excess of water is harmless. Water therapy-drinking a litre or so the first thing in the morning is kidney-friendly. The water regulation in the body is affected by hypothalamus in two ways i.e. (i) by creating the sensation of thirst which makes us drink water and (ii) by controlling the excretion of water and urine. If water regulation fails, medical emergency ensues.