By: Garima Lohumi, Bureau Chief-ICN Himachal Pradesh
Drinking plenty of water will help you reduce the chances of getting kidney stones, gastrointestinal and urinary tract cancer, and heart attack.
Scientific endeavours exploring the possibility of life beyond earth have invariably focussed on ascertaining the availability of water on various planets. Indeed, water is key to existence of all forms of life, there can be no life without water. Every organism is made up of water. It is one of the prime elements essential for the survival of all breathing creatures- plants, insects, animals, and humans. They all are dependant on the water.
In the modern era the requirement of water for humans has increased manifold. We require water for not only for drinking but also for irrigation, bathing washing, cooking , industries and various other purposes. Scientists have worked out that water accounts for about 75 percent of the human body. On average an adult body contains 42 litres of water but one may suffer from symptoms of dehydration like dizziness, headache, and weakness and fatigue even if one loses a small quantity of 2.7 litres. During hot summer season the body fast loses water through sweating and one has to be extra careful to avoid dehydration.
Water circulates through the human body maintaining cell functions, transporting, dissolving, and replenishing nutrients. It also regulates and maintains fluid balance, lymph, blood and glandular secretions. Thus, any decrease in the daily intake of water can have far reaching implications for the health of an individual as it undermines the efficiency of cell activity. Chronic dehydration can lead to many types of complications and diseases. Insufficient water can often cause shrinking of the vital organs due to lack of adequate hydration.
Experts mostly talk about the amount of water one must drink daily and various suggest that a minimum intake of drink 8-9 glasses of water is essential for proper functioning of the system. However, they do not say much about the wide ranging implications for the body if one does not drink enough water
Not many are aware that it could lead to weight gain. A person feels thirsty when dehydrated but if he or she eats food rather than drinking water. It becomes a habit and one ends up putting up weight. Thus, one must drink enough water as it not only purifies the organs and promotes other processes a body goes through but also increases metabolism.
Inadequate intake of water deprives the body fluids which help in digestion and eliminate the toxins. It could cause constipation and other health problems. Drinking plenty of water will help you reduce the chances of getting kidney stones, gastrointestinal and urinary tract cancer, and heart attack.
As the tissues and cells do not get enough fluid to make a person much active the metabolic activity slows down. Without water the enzymes are unable to produce energy either and that is why a dehydrated person may feel low, tired and depressed and often get headaches.
Dehydrated people often feel more irritated, unlike people who drink plenty of water. Two studies from the University of Connecticut put men and women through a series of cognitive tests and found that people who do not drink much water made them less cheerful and more frustrated. All this is easily reversed if one starts consuming enough water.
Dehydration directly affects the skin Water makes the skin glow and when a person does not drink enough water, the collagen begins to crack and bind together, causing fine lines and wrinkles. It can lead to premature ageing.
