Mini Lesson: Hydration

Video Transcript

Structure of Water

A lot of times when we think about nutrition, we focus on food. But water is one of the most important things that we put in our body and it makes a huge difference on how our body deals with all the other nutrients we get from food. One of the reasons that water has such a huge impact on our body is how its structured. There are these two hydrogens attached to an oxygen because they are sharing electrons, which creates a positive charge on one end and a negative charge on the other. This makes a water molecule kind of like a little magnet that will attract other particles with a charge. 

Function of Water in the Body

Water can also be used to help break apart molecules, and that attraction helps the water molecule to move the pieces around with it. This means that not only is water an important part of the digestive process where our body is trying to break apart foods into nutrients that our body can use, but it is also essential to transport those nutrients to where they need to be in the body.

These same characteristics that help with nutrients are also important to maintaining balance in the body. Every part of our body is made by cells that require a balance of water and electrolytes both inside and outside of the cells. When out of balance, these cells are not able to communicate effectively or perform basic functions the way they should. 

Importance of Balance in Hydration

Some pretty devastating effects of imbalanced water and electrolytes can most often be seen in the cardiovascular system and the kidneys. Too much fluid outside of the body’s cells can result in increased blood pressure, which can cause damage in small vessels and put a lot of extra strain on the heart. But not enough fluid in that same space makes it difficult for the heart to get blood and oxygen to all the parts of the body. 

Managing Hydration

Because these fluid shifts can be so devastating for the cardiovascular system, the kidneys—with the help of the liver, lungs, and brain—are responsible for correcting imbalances in the fluid and electrolytes in the body. When these organs are healthy, they do a fantastic job at compensating for the occasional imbalance. But when the body is constantly trying to make do with too little or too much of these nutrients, the kidneys start to show some wear and tear and we can experience issues with blood pressure and swelling.

Everyone needs to be taking in water every day, since the body is not designed to store water for later use. But, there are a lot of different factors that will influence hydration in a body, so each person’s daily water requirements are going to be different. As a general rule for the young adult, we can calculate the minimum water needs for an adult by dividing body weight in pounds by 2, with the resulting number being how many ounces of water we should strive to drink each day. If you’re not quite there yet, increase your daily water intake slowly and pay attention to how your body responds.