Water
Michele Aab
Lincoln College Online

Water Water is important to body, that is a given. We hear it all the time, ‘Drink eight glasses of water a day,” “Do not forget to drink water, and not get dehydrated.” If we understood why these sayings are constantly repeated by our friends, family, and the media, maybe we would heed this advice more often. It really is quite simple, water is important to the body for three main reasons; water is a transport medium, water helps maintain body temperature, and water is a lubricant and protective cushion (Blake, 2012). Water is important to the body as a transport medium because it is used by the blood and lymph, which both consist of primarily water. Our blood transports oxygen and nutrients to our body’s cells, and lymph transports proteins to the bloodstream, both with the help of water (Blake, 2012). Both the blood and lymph are also needed for removing toxins from the human body. The body has four major ways of removing toxins which are; bowels, urination, perspiration, and processing of toxins by the liver (Spartafit.com, 2007). So without water as a transport medium, none of these processes would happen. Next, water helps us to maintain body temperature. In one way like the transporting of water, we secrete perspiration to maintain body temperature. Water is used as a heat release; thereby, cooling the body as part of this process. Without water the body would continue to heat up. By drinking water, we are cooling down our body and maintaining body temperature (Simonson, 2011). Finally, water is a lubricant and a protective cushion for the body. Water helps to keep the eyes, nose, mouth, and throat moist. Healthy joints also need water. Without water joint problems due to lack of lubrication and increased friction can occur. Water also surrounds some of the body’s organ; the brain being a prime example. If fluid surrounds an organ, chances are that water is this fluid’s lifeblood, and without water the organ would no longer have protection.
. So those are the three main functions of water in the body, but what happens if we do not get enough water that we can easily notice? Dehydration. Yes, all of the aforementioned functions are important, but it is hard for one to tell whether their blood an lymph are getting enough water, or whether their organs are protected by enough water. Dehydration, on the other hand, is easy to identify, and it can be prevented.
Simple dehydration can cause a lack of saliva, urine discoloration, less urine, dry eyes and a rapid heartbeat, and severe dehydration can lead to nausea, vomiting and a drop in blood pressure that is the result of dehydration shock