How does water help our bodies?

Yep, again, we’re telling you to drink more water. You need it, and you need more of it. Water does so much for our bodies!

Helen Kollias discusses what water does for our bodies in an article from Precision Nutrition. She says that water performs seven major functions in our bodies: transporting, dissolving, cleaning, reacting, padding and regulating temperature.

Transporting

Water transports nutrients, oxygen, messages from hormones and carbon dioxide to and from the cells in the body.

Dissolving

Water is a solvent. Water helps to dissolve sugars, among many other things. It can’t dissolve fats and oils, but the body has cleverly figured out how to surround water insoluble molecules with proteins and then transport them in water.

Cleaning

Water doesn’t just help to wash us on the outside, it also cleans inside. When we drink plenty of water it helps to flush our filtering organs, like the kidneys and liver, and rid our bodies of toxins.

Reacting

Water is involved in many of our inner chemical reactions. Sometimes, like when sugar is digested into fructose and glucose, water must be broken down to assist the reaction.

Lubricating

Water is an essential ingredient in our bodily fluids, which are needed for moisture and lubrication in our bodies. Without water and these fluids, different systems could stop functioning properly.

Padding

As well as lubricating the joints, water also works as a shock absorber and padding to prevent the two ends of the joint from smashing into one another. Water fills our vertebral discs, allowing us to bend and twist comfortably.

Regulating

Sure, you are probably aware that sweat helps regulate your body temperature, but water does more than make up sweat. Like a radiator, water in blood vessels near the skin’s surface helps dissipate heat.

Geez! That is a lot of functions performed by water! Now, do you understand why you need so much water? Along with tracking your food each day, it is important to track your water intake. This will help you see if you are drinking enough. Keep a water bottle at your desk to remind you to drink more, and refill it often.

Source: Kollias, Helen. “Research Review: Water and weight loss.” 2000-2015. Precision Nutrition.