We all know how
important water is, but how much water is in the human body? Understanding that
water is essential to our bodily functions is a key motivator for staying
healthily hydrated. If we can begin to understand how all the different parts
of our anatomy need water, we may find it easier to remember to drink enough
fluid every day. In this article, as well as revealing how much water is in the
human body, we also take a look at how it’s distributed, and how each part uses
water to function.
How much water is in the human
body?
Over half of our bodies are made up of water. The actual amount of
water in your body will depend on your weight, age and gender. As you age, your
body water percentage will decrease. At birth, around three quarters of our
body weight is water. As we grow, our body fat increases and our lean tissue
decreases. Fatty tissue contains less water. Therefore, over time, our weight
and the amount of fatty tissue our bodies contain affects our body water
percentage.
An average healthy male between the ages of 19 and 50 will have a body
water percentage of around 60%, whereas an average healthy female in the same
age range will have a body water percentage of around 50%.
From birth to six months, a baby’s body water percentage will be
around 75%. From six months to 12 years, a child’s body water percentage will
be around 60%. In teenage years, around 56% of a female’s body weight will be
made up of water, compared to around 59% of a male’s. The average body water
percentage for a female over 50 is 47%, whereas as male’s is 56%.
You can calculate how much water your own body contains by using the
Watson formula:
Female formula
–2.097 + (0.1069 x height in cm) + (0.2466 x weight in kg) = total body water
in litres
Male formula
2.447 – (0.09145 x age) + (0.1074 x height in cm) + (0.3362 x weight in kg) =
total body water in litres
To then calculate how much that is as a percentage of your body
weight, you simply divide your total body water by your weight (in kg) and
multiply that answer by 100.
For example, a 1.62 metre high female weighing 55 kg :
-2.097 + (0.1069 x 162 cm = 17.3178) + (0.2466 x 55 kg = 13.563) = 28.7838
litres
28.7838 litres ÷ 55 kg x 100
= 52%
While this isn’t going to be precise, it serves to give a rough idea of how
much water is in your body. A healthy range for females up to 50 is 41% to 60%,
and for males up to 50 it’s 43% to 73%. For the over-50s, a healthy range for
females is 39% to 57%, for males it’s 47% to 67%.
Water is one of the key ingredients of all the major parts that make
up the human body:
● Plasma is around 92% water. Plasma is the
liquid part of blood that carries around the red and white blood cells and
platelets.
● 83% of our lungs are water
● 79% of our muscles and kidneys are water
● Our brains and heart are 73% water
● 64% of our skin is water
● Our bones are 31% water
Everything in our body is made up of cells, and over 70% of each cell
is made of water. Water is stored in intracellular
fluid (the fluid within cells) as well as in extracellular fluid (the fluid
outside cells). Water is everywhere in our bodies, and that’s why we need it so
much.
Here are the top ten little everyday miracles that water performs in
our bodies to keep us in tip-top health:
Water is the main nutrient every cell in our body needs to
function. Cells are the building blocks of our
bodies, they group together to form our tissues and organs.
Water helps our brain function. Dehydration can
adversely affect our concentration and ability to navigate complex tasks.
We might also be prone to headaches or reduced alertness if we don’t drink
enough water.
Water aids digestion. It helps to break down the food we eat
and then carries the proteins and carbohydrates around our body for fuel.
Water flushes out our waste. Water helps our
kidneys remove waste from our blood. We then pee out what our bodies don’t
need.
Water keeps our blood flowing. As the plasma in our
blood is mostly water, we need to stay hydrated to stop our blood from
becoming too concentrated. A lack of the electrolyte minerals naturally
found in water, such as magnesium and potassium, affects the normal
function of our hearts and muscles. Dehydration may also decrease our
volume of blood, making us dizzy and light-headed.
Water protects our sensitive bits.
Our body tissue needs to stay moist, so when we don’t drink enough water,
we begin to dry up. Our super sensitive eyes, nose and mouth all need to
stay hydrated. Water is also part of the fluid around our brain that keeps
it protected.
Water is our built-in shock absorber.
It’s part of our spinal cord’s protective system and also helps lubricate
and cushion our joints.
Water regulates our temperature. When
we exercise, our
muscles generate heat. To keep our temperature down, we get rid of that heat
by sweating it out. Our bodies do the same in hot weather, and therefore
need lots of water to be able to generate enough sweat and keep us cool.
Water keeps our skin looking
good. The outermost layer of our
skin, the epidermis, will feel rough and lose its stretchiness if it
doesn’t contain enough water
Water keeps our mouths
working. We
naturally produce saliva to keep our mouths moist. As the saying ‘makes
your mouth water’ suggests, the secretion of saliva anticipates digestion.
It also protects our teeth and gums and helps prevent infections. Saliva
is 99% water.
In this article,
we’ve explained why water is so important to our everyday health. With over
half our bodies being made up of water, we need to replace the fluid we’re
naturally losing all the time. It’s always best to replace like for like, so
drinking plenty of pure water during the day will help us function properly. A
great way to easily stay hydrated is to have a hot and cold water dispenser to
hand that purifies your tap water, ensuring that it can be as tasty and healthy
as possible. Take a look at the Virgin Pure Home Water System <https://virginpure.com/for-home/> - it’s just like having mineral water on
tap.
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Once you add the Smart Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add the Smart Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add the Smart Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
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