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Drink to Your Health
Adequate Water Intake for Hydration
By Carma Haley Shoemaker
The Earth is mostly covered by water. We use water for various tasks of our daily lives. Water is needed for plant growth and for a green lawn. Children lavish the feel of water on their skin during a hot summer day. Water is all around us, and yet most people do not drink an adequate amount in order to maintain their health.
Nutritionist, doctors, nurses and even the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) forever mention the importance of an adequate intake of water. One only needs to read any diet manual and one of the most important factors mentioned is to drink eight to 10 glasses of water per day. So what is it about water that makes it such an important part of life? What happens if a person does not get enough water? The answers are as clear as, well, as water.
Hydration is essential to good health. According to Barbara Levine, the director of the human nutrition program at the Rockefeller University, hydration is "the replacement of body fluids lost through sweating, exhaling and elimination."
"Water is essential to the body and serves various functions to help you achieve optimal athletic performance, whether hiking or running to keep up with children," Levine says.
According to Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, dehydration is the "condition resulting from excessive loss of body fluid which occurs when fluid output exceeds fluid intake." As our bodies are more than 50 percent water, it is only natural that losing any amount could be harmful. These harmful effects become apparent with the first sign of thirst and, if ignored, could result in much worse symptoms.
"Thirst is one of the first signs of dehydration, so if you're feeling thirsty, your body is already slightly dehydrated," Levine says. "Health problems that are symptomatic of dehydration include headaches, indigestion, lapses in concentration, constipation, grogginess and dry, itchy skin."
