Why water is important?
Water is another essential element in our life. It is needed to maintain the temperature to absorb food in the body and to excrete human excreta as well. The water we drink should be potable without any germs. Water itself is not nutrient however, it is essential for the utilization of those nutrients by our body. Therefore, water is essential to our body. to live a normal life there must be around (65%-70%) water in the total weight of our body. A person may die if there is a deficiency of water by more than (20%) of the total requirements of our body.
Functions-
– Water regulates the body temperature
– It regulates the electrolyte balance
-It helps in the elimination of waste products
-It protects from dehydration
-It helps to transport, nutrients and waste materials
– Regulates internal and external temperature of the body
– Helps to make skin and hair soft and moist
– Helps to balance the PH value of the body
The daily requirement of Water
generally, a person needs about 3 to 5 liters of water in a day. The need for water in the human body depends upon age, climate, physical structure, and physical activity.
Consequences of Dehydration in the body
In winter and summer; intake and output ratio of water in the body should be equal. The condition of more output of the water from the body than the intake of water into the body is called dehydration. When more than (5%) water is deficient in our body it demonstrates the dehydration signs and symptoms like dryness of skin, the thickness of blood and inadequate blood circulation may appear. Dehydration leads to the severe problem for small children. In the context of our country (Nepal), most of the child death occurs due to diarrhea and dehydration