Water is perhaps the single-most important liquid on the Earth. The United States Geological Society (USGS) reports that water covers about 71 percent of the Earth’s surface, which is about 96.5 percent of all the water on this globe. The remaining 3.5 percent is contained in clouds, rivers and streams, glaciers, and at the North and South Poles, it reports.
Our bodies also contain a great deal of water, according to most scientists. However, the amount of water in any typical person will vary according to a number of factors, the USGS says on its website. Children are born with an average of 65 percent water content, and adult males average about 60 percent, according to Jeffery Utz, Neuroscience, pediatrics, Allegheny University, as listed on the USGS website. Another factor is body fat. Fat cells hold less water than muscles, so as a body trends more toward obesity, the less water the body can hold. Men also tend to hold more water than women, the USGS says.
Because water makes up so much of our bodies, it can be inferred that it is an important ingredient to basic health, especially because water contains zero calories and no sugar.
The question that is often asked is how much water should a person drink? That will vary depending upon circumstances, the USGS says. For people who live in hot, arid climates, they need to consume more water. The foods we eat make a difference as well and can offset the requisite volume of water because they already contain water that the body can absorb. According to mayoclinic.org, even mild dehydration can drain one’s energy, leaving a feeling of tiredness. Mayoclinic.org suggests that the average person in a moderate climate should replace naturally wasted water, which would be about 3 liters for men and 2.2 liters for women each day. This is just slightly more than the Institute of Medicine’s suggested eight 8-ounce glasses each day.
