Top 10 Advantages of Drinking Water for Health cs 8% Nobody can imagine survival without water. Water is one of the most important requirements of all the living beings. But is it only a need for our survival? Is water beneficial apart from being a necessity? Although water is a tasteless liquid having no color or odor, it is vital to our health. About 60-75 % of human body consists of water. Water performs many functions in the human body such as it transports nutrients and oxygen into cells, aids metabolism, helps in detoxification, moisturizes the air in lungs, helps organs to properly absorb the nutrients, regulates body temperature, protects the body organs, moisturizes our joints etc. Thus, we can understand the importance of water for maintaining a healthy body. Many doctors advise that every individual must drink at least eight glasses of water a day. If one drinks less water, there are chances of dehydration which may lead to problems like constipation, headache (even migraine), fatigue etc. Thus, drinking water is essential for leading a healthy lifestyle. Here are the advantages of drinking water for your health.
1. Helps lose weight
A large number of dieticians and doctors prescribe adequate intake of water in order to reduce weight. Weight loss is a very common agenda of millions of people now-a-days given their unhealthy eating habits and lifestyle. Actually, water doesn’t have any magical effect on weight loss as you might wonder, albeit substituting it for higher calorie beverages can help appreciably. A laudable advantage of water is that it has zero calories! Also, water suppresses one’s appetite, so one doesn’t eat much. Basically, drinking water helps one lose weight as it flushes down the by-products of fat breakdown and helps the body to burn the stored fats.
2. Keeps away skin problems
Who does not want to look younger? For a healthy and younger looking skin, drinking a good amount of water is most important as all the beauty experts and doctors say. This is due to the fact that water helps to replenish skin tissues, moisturizes skin and increases its elasticity. If one doesn’t drink enough water, one tends to suffer from dry skin, and obviously will be more likely to use creams and lotions in greater amounts to moisturize. However, creams and lotions contain a lot of chemicals and don’t strike at the root of the problem as they can only be applied externally. On the contrary, drinking plenty of water works from within to keep the skin moisturized and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Thus, drinking enough water can clear up the skin and people often report a healthy glow after drinking water. However, if we don’t drink enough water, our body will try to retain it in order to conserve resources. This water retention makes our skin puffy and can even lead to bloating. At the same time, it is important to note that over-hydration cannot completely eradicate lines and wrinkles. Our skin also removes toxins from body through perspiration and paucity of water can lead to skin problems like acne and eczema which are quite damaging.
3. Aids Metabolism
As most of us know, the digestive system is very vital for the proper functioning of our body and maintaining good health. Our digestive systems need a good amount of water to digest the food eaten in a proper manner. Regular intake of water increases the metabolic rate and improves our digestive system so that complete breakdown and digestion of the food is yielded. Adequate hydration keeps things flowing along the gastrointestinal tract and prevents constipation. Clearly, drinking enough water is essential for that. So, when our body doesn’t get enough fluid, the colon pulls water from stools to maintain hydration — and the result is constipation. Thus, water can often help to cure stomach acid problems which are commonly complained by people, and water along with fiber can even cure constipation to a great extent.
4. Good for Muscles
Proper working of muscles is very important as they are responsible for the movements and strengthening of our body parts. The cells having an imbalance of fluids and electrolytes shrivel, which can result in muscle fatigue. When muscle cells do not have adequate fluids, they tend to stop working nicely and thus, performance can suffer. So, drinking water also helps in exercising. Another benefit of drinking water is that it strengthens our muscles. That’s because water carries oxygen to the cells in the body, including those of our muscles. Drinking plenty of water enables our muscles to work harder and longer before they feel exhausted, and this can help build muscle. Moreover, proper hydration keeps our muscles lubricated and prevents us from cramps and sprains.
5. Reduces the risk of cardiac arrests and cancer
Heart attacks, as we know are quite dangerous and may even take our life. In today’s scenario, heart attacks are too common, and it’s not just the elderly people who suffer heart attacks but also the young adults in their 30’s and 40’s these days suffer from heart attacks. Drinking a good amount of water could lower the risk of a cardiac arrest. Many studies have shown that that people who drank enough water throughout the day were less likely to have a heart attack. A similar ailment which adversely affects our health and may be life taking is cancer. Cancers may affect any part of the body. Drinking substantial amounts of water is likely to reduce the risk of bladder and colon cancer. This is because water has the ability to dilute the concentration of cancer-causing agents in the gut & urine and reduce the time they take to come in contact with the colon / bladder lining. Drinking a healthy amount of water has been found to reduce the risk of colon cancer by 45% and that of bladder cancer by 50%. It may even potentially reduce the risk of breast cancer, a common ailment women suffer from now-a-days.
6. Keeps brain healthy
The human brain comprises of about 80-90% of water. So, one can easily infer from this fact that drinking enough water can significantly increase our cognitive function. This is because of the reason that in order to function at optimum levels, our brain requires quite a huge amount of oxygen; and drinking plenty of water ensures that our brain gets all the oxygen it needs. It would be pretty interesting to note that drinking about eight to ten glasses of water per day can improve our levels of cognitive performance by as much as 30%! In addition to above, drinking sufficient quantity of water also supports nerve function which is very important for any individual to act and respond properly. It ensures that our body’s electrolyte levels remain high enough so as to allow our nerves to relay messages to and from the brain in the way they were intended to. As a result, the responses become quicker. Thus, water can appreciably improve our ability to think and perform well.
7. Improves immunity
Another important advantage of drinking water is that water plays quite a fundamental role in strengthening the immune system which is necessary to avoid sickness. Drinking plenty of water helps fight against a lot of common diseases like flu and other ailments such as kidney stones and heart attack. It may be noted that water, along with lemon juice is often used to overcome respiratory diseases, intestinal problems, rheumatism and arthritis. So, in order to reduce the chances of falling sick and to feel and stay healthier, drinking enough amount of water is very essential.
8. Cleansing and detoxification
Our body primarily uses water to help flush out toxins and waste products. Using bodily fluids, these waste products are transported in and out of cells. Mainly, the toxins in our body include blood urea nitrogen & creatinine, which are water-soluble wastes. These water-soluble wastes can pass through the kidneys in order to be excreted through the urine. Our kidneys perform the task of cleansing our body and help it get rid of toxins; as long as our intake of fluids is adequate. When our body is getting enough fluids, the urine flows freely, is light in color and is free of any unpleasant odor. However, if the case is not so, the urine concentration, color, and odor increases as the kidneys trap extra fluid for bodily functions which may cause further problems. Moreover, if one chronically drinks too little water, one may be at higher risk of having kidney stones. This is due to the precipitation of salts in kidney, particularly in warm climates. Also, the food residue from our gut needs to be removed & if one drinks less water, one is likely to suffer from constipation. Thus, water removes toxins and most of the waste products from our body contributing to a healthy quality of life.
9. Prevents and cures headaches
If the body is not provided with adequate amount of water, it gets dehydrated. One of the most common consequences of dehydration is headache. Headaches are very common these days due to the changing lifestyles of people. In their run, people; including children usually suffer from headaches which may be caused due to a variety of reasons, most common being dehydration, and often reach out for medicines. However, drinking enough water keeps headaches at bay. It also helps fight migraines.
10. Maintains the balance of body fluids and also the pH
As mentioned above, 60-75% of human body is composed of water. To maintain the correct concentrations of the bodily fluids, drinking water in adequate amounts is a pre-requisite.There are a lot of functions of the bodily fluids which include digestion, circulation, absorption, transportation of nutrients, creation of saliva, and regulation of the body temperature. Clearly, proper balancing of the body fluids is extremely necessary for keeping the body functional and healthy. If this balance is not maintained, body functions may get affected. Apart from this, the human body needs a neutral pH range (around 7) in order to function properly. Drinking enough water throughout the day not just helps performing the various functions aforementioned but also helps maintain this pH balance.
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