Released April 21, 2009
STILLWATER, Okla. – When most people think about having a healthy diet, they think of what they eat. Including water into a diet is an essential component for a healthy lifestyle.
“Water is more critical to life than food,” said Janice Hermann, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension nutrition specialist. “Water is in every cell of the body. About 60 percent of an adult’s body is water and even more of a child’s body weight is water.”
Water is essential because the body’s requirement for water is greater than its ability to produce it. The body uses water for almost all its functions, including digestion, absorption, circulation, excretion, transporting nutrients, building tissues, maintaining blood vessels and maintaining body temperature.
Hermann said that most people usually underestimate how much water they need to refill body supplies. Thirst is the primary way of indicating a need for water; unfortunately, the onset of thirst lags behind the body’s need for water.
The body’s water comes from three sources: first the body makes water and the rest comes from food and beverages. Liquids are easy-to-recognize sources of water, but solid foods such as meats, fruits and vegetables also provide water.
“Adults need at least six to eight cups of water each day,” said Hermann. “Water can be taken in many forms such as water, fruit juice, milk, soups, coffee, tea or soft drinks.”
During hot summer days, water is especially important because dehydration can be a major life-threatening problem.
While the body can stand to lose much of its fat and carbohydrate stores, a loss of only 5 percent of body water can result in some signs of heat exhaustion. A loss of 10 percent of body water can lead to heat stroke and circulatory collapse, said Hermann.
During hot weather or physical activity, plain cool water is best for replacing body water because it can be absorbed quickly.
“Juices, soft drinks and other liquids containing more than 8 percent sugar may cause stomach cramps and diarrhea. Most sports drinks contain about 7 percent sugar, which is about half the amount of sugar in regular soft drinks,” she said. “It’s a good idea to spread out fluid replacement, drinking fluids before, during and after physical activity or time in the sun.”
Hermann also said a tip for replacing water lost through perspiration is to weigh before and after being physically active and use the guide of two cups of water to replace one pound lost. If someone lost two pounds they would need four cups of fluid to replace the water lost.
-30-
Contact: Katie Reim, 405-744-6792, katie.reim@okstate.edu
