...Dehydration Paper SCI/241 October 27, 2012 Water consumption is important to the body in order to maintain optimum health and function properly. The content of this paper will look at a few of the functions of water in the body and what can happen if enough water is not taken in, resulting in dehydration. Following the functions of water, I will discuss dehydration and its stages and symptoms. I will also cover the essential electrolytes in the body, sodium, potassium, and chloride their location, functions, intake recommendations, and the dangers of taking in too much of each. Alcohol and caffeine can have a negative effect on how the body uses water, so I will discuss and explain how both of these substances affect water in the body. Lastly, this paper will discuss ways to avoid becoming dehydrated. Water makes up over half of our body weight. In men, it is approximately 60 percent of their body weight and for women it is approximately 50 percent (Grosvenor & Smolin, 2006). Some of the main functions of water in the body are to help lubricate joints, regulates body temperature, and helps remove waste from the body and aids in the digestion process. When a person experiences joint pain, it is a sign of lack of water. Cartilage within the joints is about 80 percent water and provides a smooth surface for the joints to move on, but that is only the case if enough water is consumed. Lack of water means less lubrication for the joints causing friction...
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...Dehydration January 16th 2011 University of Axia Instructor: Water is so essential to health maintenance because our cells are mostly made up of water and because of that all the essential functions of every single cell in our body are carried out in the presence of the universal solvent. A person can call it metabolism, flushing out of, toxic wastes, delivery of nutrients to the cells and also heat to transfer. When you feel hot, you grab a glass of water and you feel better. When you have some food, you take water (or some other liquid) with it, when you sweat during exercise or a steam bath, you feel good because along sweat is essentially water with waste being flushed out of your body. The enzymatic reactions in the cells are also dependent on water. Water is essential to maintain body's homeostasis. If normal water levels aren't maintained, it will affect the osmotic pressure, ion homeostasis and plasma/blood volume as well. Also it is required to excrete waste products from our body (E.g.; urine) and for the regulation of metabolic activities such as enzyme activation. Therefore, water is essential to maintain the body in its normal state. “Water serves many curative functions even in our day-to-day life. In fact, water is very essential for maintaining the proper functioning of our body and sustaining us. It makes up more than half of our body weight and caters to the requirements of various bodily needs. Deficiency of water in the body can affect various functions...
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...Dehydration SCI/241 Dehydration “Water is of major importance to all living things; in some organisms, up to 90% of their body weight comes from water” ("U.S. Geological Survey", 2011). The human body is over 60% water; some if its organs are even higher. Without water or enough of it, there is no life. Dehydration is losing excessive amounts of water and not receiving enough to replenish what is lost. Without proper hydration the body can’t function properly. The body can’t store water. Therefore, maintaining water balance in the body is very important. Function of Water in the Body Water helps with many different body functions. “Water bathes the cells of the body and lubricates and cleanses internal and external body surface” (Wiley, 2012). Water is an important factor in joint lubrication and the building of cartilage. It also helps with production of energy, cell function, and metabolism. Water also helps the body by maintaining temperature (sweat). Another important function is the removal of waste from the body (uric acids). Water is Essential The amount of water need varies. It depends on age, temperature, and activities. Children need more hydration than adults. The elderly also need more hydration because the levels drop with age. Participation in physical activity will also increase the need for proper hydration. In hotter climates or physical activity it is easier to become dehydrated. As the body produces sweat to cool its temperature, hydration levels...
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...SCI 241 – Week 5 Assignment: Dehydration Christina Doner Our bodies are made up of mostly water. What does that mean? Exactly how it sounds. Water is found in every part of the body; from tissue, to muscle, and in the bone. Bodies depend on water for lubrication, protection, oxygen in the blood (which too is mainly water), in addition to the delivery of nutrients throughout the body. Consequently, water is essential to the survival of human life. Most importantly, bodies do not store water, resulting in obligatory consumption of water on a daily basis to replenish or restore water that was lost through evaporation or urination. Each person’s body is different, so the best way to configure how much water to consume on a daily basis is to ask a doctor or trained physician. Dehydration occurs when a body is losing more fluids than is consumed, and does not have adequate amount of water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions. Water is crucial in maintaining fluid balance throughout the body. Our bodies require adequate amounts of water in our system to regulate body functions and remain healthy. Some examples of what water does for our bodies are; moistening the eyes, help with chewing and break down of food through the mixture of saliva, and to lubricate and protect our bodies joints. So, the most important task of water is its controlling response to chemical reactions. Water is essential in regulating and maintaining our body’s temperature, assuring it...
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...Water is very essential to maintaining our health. The average adult body weight is 60 percent water. This mineral is found in all areas of the human body and it is plays a vital role in various bodily functions. Body cells are made mostly of water and are surrounded by it. As water moves throughout the different body compartments it equalizes the concentration of dissolved particles. It is the driving force behind osmosis. Osmosis is the passive movement across a membrane to equalize the concentration of solution on both sides. This process also allows nutrients and waste products to be transported through the cell wall. Without osmosis, water would not be able to move throughout the cells in your body causing them to die and this can be harmful to your health. Water in the body provides many functions. It helps dissolves various substances like glucose, amino acids and minerals. Acidity levels are maintained by water in the body. It cleanses the cells of the body and lubricates and rinses internal and external body surfaces. Watery tears lubricate the eyes and wash away dirt, synovial fluid lubricates the joints, and saliva lubricates the mouth, making it easier to chew and swallow food. Water cushions different body compartments such as the joints and eyeballs against shock by resisting compression. The cushioning effect of water in the amniotic sac protects the fetus as it grows inside a pregnant woman. Blood, which is mostly water, flows through our bodies...
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...This essay will focus on dehydration, and water in the body how it is function. The reason water essential to health maintenance and what water can do to the body if not enough is obtained. This essay will mention how the body level based on hydration has on alcohol and caffeine. Sodium, potassium, and chloride compare and contrast how these different electrolytes function in the body. I will also explain the steps to take to ensure people not become dehydrated. Dehydration means excessive loss of water resulting in depletion of body fluids (Grosvenor & Smolin (2006). Dehydration is that you lose more fluid than you take in which occurs because there is not enough water and other fluids in the body to function normal. Dehydration can be prevented by drinking about eight- nine glasses of water a day. Water is essential to health maintenance is that over half of your body weight is water. Every cell in our body carries out the presence of the universal solvent. A person sweat during exercise water with waste is flushed out of your body. Water is needed to prevent dehydration this helps to maintain proper metabolism in our body. All the body tissues varying proportions of water is found in 60% of body weight in adults is water, in a child the water percentage is the highest. The functions of water in the body are for digesting food. Water also helps to cushion our joints and prevents shocks in them. A person will know when he or she have enough water when he or she urine will...
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...Dehydration XXXXXXXX Axia College of University of Phoenix Dehydration Water is a major component of blood, helps to lubricate joints, and allows electrolytes to power nerve responses. Grosvenor and Smolin wrote in Nutrition: Everyday choices (2006) that the average person’s body is 60% water weight, and keeping enough water in the body is a continuing task for everyone. The loss of one to two, up to four or more liters of water each day in sweat alone is an indicator of how important consuming enough water is. (Grosvenor & Smolin, 2006). By examining the functions of water and what can happen when the body does not receive enough of it, this essay will outline the important role water plays in keeping humans alive and healthy. Of the many essential nutrients humans consume to sustain their healthy lives water is by far consumed in larger quantities and with more urgency. (Grosvenor & Smolin, 2006). So much water is needed to power the body that even though 90% of water is reabsorbed during digestion Grosvenor and Smolin (2006) cite the Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board’s recommendation for water intake: 2.7 liters for females and 3.7 liters for males, every day. Grosvenor & Smolin go on to inform that one of the main ways the body loses much of this water is through the elimination of excess vitamins, minerals and waste products. The more of these particles one’s body has to expel, the more water it needs to eliminate them. This elimination...
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...Dehydration Denise Crago Sci 241 October 3, 2010 Matthew Badtke Dehydration Dehydration is defined as a loss or insufficient levels of water and important blood salts like potassium and sodium in your body. Important organs like the kidneys, brain, and heart can not function properly without water and salt. Dehydration is most common in underdeveloped countries, were diseases like cholera and dysentery kill millions every year. Unfortunately infants and small children are the most likely victims. Still, if the right conditions are present like severe vomiting or diarrhea even those in modern countries like the U.S. can become dangerously dehydrated. Water is the single most important element in the world. It is the very basis for all life on Earth. As babies, water accounts 70 to 80% of our body mass. The older we get the more this percentage decreases, eventually balancing at approximately 60 to 65% for men and 50 to 60% for women. The most important organ in the body, our brain, consists of 80% water. The amount of adipose tissue in our bodies determines the natural percentage of this element. Women tend to have more of this fatty tissue thus decreasing the amount of water present. The chemical make up water, hydrogen and oxygen, are crucial to sustaining life because of the weak chemical bonds made with other molecules. This allows water to act as the primary solvent for many bodily functions like digestion. Water is also an incredibly efficient conductor of...
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...Introduction Water is an important part of the human body, so much so that nearly 60% of adults’ body weight is made up of water. A human can go many days without food and other nutrients without feeling any serious effects, but if you go even a day without water symptoms of dehydration can begin to appear. A person can even experience symptoms of dehydration after just one hour of exercise on a hot day. Dehydration is Excessive loss of water resulting in depletion of body fluids (, 2006). The effects of dehydration can be very serious in humans and can even lead to death. This paper will examine the functions of water in the body and what happens when the body does not receive the water it needs. Water in the Body Water provides many functions in different areas of the body. Water is used by the body to help dissolve many substances that it needs such as glucose, minerals, and amino acids. Water also helps maintain the proper level of acidity in the body. There are many chemical reactions that take place in the body and water is a part of a number of them. Examples of these include reactions that join smaller molecules together and break larger molecules apart. Reactions of metabolism also occur in water which helps fuel the body. Water also plays a major role in maintaining the body’s temperature. Water holds heat and changes temperature at a slow rate which helps the body maintain a steady temperature. Water in the blood also helps regulate body temperature by increasing...
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...Dehydration The body is made of 60% water and serves in the functions of digestion, circulation, secretion of saliva, the transportation of nutrients and the maintenance of the body’s temperature. We may go on without food for a long period of time but without water we may die of dehydration. Water or fluids is important when exercising because fluids can be lost during exercising through sweating and may result in muscle fatigue. With proper hydration you skin will look refreshed and your skins protective barrier that contains water is a protective barrier that prevents excess fluid loss. The body will transport waste in and out of cells which is excreted through the urine. The intake of fluids will ensure that toxins will be cleansed from the body. Proper hydration will keep the gastrointestinal tract flowing and will prevent constipation. When there are not enough fluids in the body, the colon will pull the fluid from stools which may result in constipation. Water has multiple functions in the body. Water protects the tissues and keeps them moist. Hydration will keep sensitive areas retain their moisture also in the blood, bones and brains. The spinal cord is also protected by water and acts as a lubricant and cushion for the joints. Water aids in digestion and helps the body to remove waste. Digestion starts with saliva which is basically water. The water helps digest fiber and dissolves and forms soft stool, along with the kidneys, liver and intestines flushes out waste...
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...Dehydration Amelia D. Sneed Axia College of University of Phoenix SCI/241 The Science of Nutrition Dr. Liam Conner 20 February 2011 Dehydration Water is a necessity to the body for many obvious reasons. Without water a human being would die within a couple of days. The human body is composed of nearly 70% of water; making water the most important element needed for the body to function, next to the oxygen needed to breathe. When the body has an excessive loss of water or depletion of body water people are usually diagnosed as being dehydrated. When a person suffers from dehydrated there are several changes that occur within the body. However the loss of water within the body does not have to be a large percentage, with only two percent depletion of the body’s water supply people can suffer from signs of dehydration (Lewis III, 2008). The onset symptoms of dehydration can be signs of changes in the body such as difficulty focusing, cloudy memory and even the inability to focus on a television or computer screen. An estimated 75% of US citizens have a mild form of dehydration which is also one of the most common causes of daytime fatigue (Merck, 2009). However, some people are not aware of just how important it is to consume an appropriate amount of water on a day to day basis, to maintain the body’s ability to properly function. Water is the bare essential needed to maintain healthiness, as dehydration can prove to be potentially dangerous...
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...systems to properly perform their necessary functions. Dehydration occurs when more water is lost than what is being taken in. Making sure we have the proper amount of fluids in our cells is vital to ensuring our bodies are able to properly perform their essentially necessary functions. Water acts like a cleanser, helping with the removal of harmful waste and possible deadly toxins. Our blood, which is made primarily of water, is responsible for carrying many nutrients to nearby waiting cells. Our immune system, which contains a fluid called lymph, is also made of water. If our immune system is affected by dehydration, it stops working properly and our body will not be fully capable of fighting off the harmful effects of illness and disease. Water also plays a vital role in the digestive process, by aiding in the break down of foods and liquids and the transportation of those food particles through the entire digestive system. Water is an important component concerning the process of producing and passing excess body waste. Another important role water plays is in regulating normal body temperature. When our internal organs get too warm, we begin the process of perspiration; pushing water out through pores in the skin, in an attempt to remove excess heat and regulate a normal body temperature. If our cell system is not properly, and continually hydrated we may begin feeling the minor symptoms of dehydration almost immediately. The severity of the symptoms depends...
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...To maintain a good health it is essential to consume water. The adult body is consists of nearly 60% water, this makes clear why the organs in the body, for example the brain, kidneys, and heart cannot function properly if they are lacking enough water. Dehydration or excessive loss of water makes the body ‘feel’ uncomfortable and can be life threatening in some cases. After reaching an improved understanding of the magnitude water has with the body, the functions it supports and what transpires when dehydration occurs; an individual will make certain hydration is maintained. Every tissue in the body includes water to some point. Water inside of cells is considered as intracellular fluid whereas water outside of the cells is considered extracellular fluid. The extracellular fluid contributes to the body’s total water weight. A significant aspect to recognize about the water in the body is the water never stops moving or working within the body. As the body realizes a specific place of the body needs water, the body moves the water to the location of need from an area with an elevated concentration of water. This process is referred to as osmosis; an individual’s blood pressure aids the osmosis as it moves the water from area to area of the body. Water is regarded as a solvent for dissolving material needed for appropriate functioning of the body. These functions include: minerals, amino acids, and glucose. The metabolism is aided with water, “equalizing the concentration of...
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...Dehydration is when the body does not have enough water and/or fluids as it should have. Dehydration can be caused by a number of things such as losing fluid, not drinking enough water or liquids daily, or a combination of both. Vomiting and diarrhea can also lead to dehydration. If the body loses too much water or fluids it can lead to severe dehydration and can be life threatening. The symptoms of dehydration range from dry or sticky mouth, urine decreases, eyes become dry and irritated, sunken eyes, and in severe cases of dehydration one may become lethargic or comatose. The best way to overcome being dehydrated is to consume water or fluids in small amounts. If a large amount of water is consumed it may result in vomiting, which is not helping to hydrate the body. If worse case scenarios, to get hydrated, a person could be put in the hospital with IV’s to hydrate the body. It is always important to drink plenty of water and fluids whether a person is healthy or ill. Water is essential to health maintenance because it makes up over 60% of our body weight. In children water makes up around 70% (p. 282). Water is found in three areas according to chapter nine of this week’s reading. Intracellular fluid is inside cells. Extracellular fluid is opposite of intracellular as it is located outside of the cells. It can be found in blood, lymph’s, spinal column, eyes & joints. Interstitial fluid is located between the cells and tissues. The comment “I’m dying of thirst” may be a true...
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... His eyes were sunken. Jimmy had caught a stomach virus; he had been vomiting and had diarrhea so severe that he lost 5lbs in just four days. Jimmy was severely dehydrated. Dehydration is a condition that occurs when a person loses more fluid than they take in. It is a loss of water content and electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium and bicarbonate) that are needed for normal body functioning. There are three types of dehydration; mild, moderate and severe. Severe dehydration is a loss of 10%-15% of body fluids. At this point, dehydration becomes a medical emergency. Jimmy was severely dehydrated and immediate steps were taken to rehydrate him. He was given intravenous fluids to restore his water and electrolytes that he had lost. What was happening in Jimmy’s body is that the osmolarity of his blood is higher than that of his tissues. This naturally causes water to be drawn from the cells and into the blood, since water follows a higher solute. (Where salt goes water follows.) The movement of water into the blood causes increases in blood volume, which increases blood pressure. Giving the blood enough pressure to pass though the glomerulus, the glomerulus is a capillary tuft surrounded by a Bowman’s capsule in the nephron of the kidneys. This is where your blood is filtered. If dehydration continues the tissues in the body start to die and the cells begin to shrivel. To maintain the homeostasis of the body’s water content or osmoregulation the body secretes a hormone...
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