They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but what do eight glasses of water do for us? Stomach bloating aside, water does make several important contributions to the body. Almost every cell requires it to function properly and virtually every metabolic process thirsts for it.
Roughly 55% to 75% of the human body is composed of water, and considering we lose about eight cups a day through breathing, sweating and bathroom breaks, it is critical to continually replenish the ingredient that makes your body go.
Here are five things you didn’t know about water that will encourage you to finally start drinking those eight glasses a day.
1. It improves mental performance
If you can’t remember what was written in the introduction of this article, your brain might be parched.
Since approximately 80% of brain tissue is made of water, it is critical to keep your brain hydrated. Clinical tests have shown that dehydration decreases the performance of short-term memory and impairs concentration.
The logic is fairly basic: Subtract the main ingredient from your brain and you will have functional problems. It’s like driving a car without oil.
In the brain, water thins the fluids that carry proteins and enzymes, and helps deliver these nutrients to their destination. When the body is dehydrated, these fluids are slower to make their rounds and mental performance is directly affected.
Water also flushes the brain of free radicals, which damage cell architecture and further undermine operation.
2. It can prevent critical ailments
Arthritis, cancer and heart disease are serious illnesses that affect millions of people, but you can possibly avoid being part of those statistics by drinking water.
The clear stuff is a key constituent in cartilage, the spongy material that serves as padding where bones meet, and synovial fluid, the liquid around the joints that lubricates the area and works as a shock absorber. When there’s water aplenty, there is less friction around the joints, and therefore less arthritis.
Also, when there’s plenty of water in our system -- although it means we’re often running to the little boys’ room -- the body is being flushed of toxins. By reducing the amount of time that these toxins spend in contact with our colons and bladders, we decrease the chance of developing cancer.
Water can make you rich and famous! Well, not quite, but check out these three other health benefits. Not only does water help transport the toxins out of our system, but it also cleanses the body of excessive salt. Several studies have linked high levels of salt to high blood pressure, and high blood pressure to numerous heart disorders.
Even bouts of heartburn can be prevented by ensuring that the digestive system is always properly hydrated.
As water passes in and out of the body, it prevents malevolent buildups that can lead to either a minor bug like a cold or a major malady like stroke or cancer.
3. It can help you lose weight
Hungry? Try filling your stomach with a glass of H2O. It contains no calories or fat, and it is a proven appetite suppressant.
More importantly, that glass of water can speed up your metabolism.
Considering that nearly every process that takes place in the body requires water, it is simple to understand how everything slows down when your body is thirsty.
Pouring in a cup of water is like shifting your car into a higher gear: More water means a faster metabolism, which burns calories at an accelerated rate.
Studies have shown that after ingesting two cups of water, it takes 10 minutes to 40 minutes to kick-start your metabolism. Once it’s going, however, you’ll burn calories at a 30% faster rate.
One study estimates that increasing water consumption by six cups a day would result in an average loss of 5.3 pounds of fat over the course of a year.
Who says there are no shortcuts to losing weight?
4. It washes away cavities
They say a smile is worth a million bucks and it doesn’t cost a cent. Well, the upkeep of your precious pearly whites is also more than affordable.
We know that keeping your innards irrigated helps produce several important body fluids -- including saliva, which wards off cavities.
Tooth decay stems from a buildup of acid, which eats away at tooth enamel, but saliva neutralizes this acid. It also contains special minerals that aid in tooth repair.
As long as the body is hydrated -- and you aren’t cramming too much candy into your mouth -- you will have enough saliva to win the war and keep your teeth protected.
5. Drinking too much of it can lead to overhydration
It’s important to take your daily dose of water, but there’s no need to go overboard. Just think of it this way: Replenish the water that you lose.
A regular person loses about two to three glasses of water through regular breathing and another one through sweating. Factor in a couple of bathroom breaks and a workout, and the body is already down eight glasses for the day.
Focus on replacing the water that has been used. If you are planted on the couch watching Seinfeld reruns, don’t drown your insides.
Overdosing occurs when you drink a lot more water than your body is expelling. When that occurs, the levels of sodium in your body become unbalanced, which can lead to digestive problems, seizures or even coma.
But don’t panic: A healthy adult would have to regularly consume about two gallons of water a day to become overhydrated.
