The role of water in human life

Category: Water

Water is the juice of life. So said Leonardo da Vinci. Indeed, water is an indispensable part of life. The plants comprise up to 90% of water in their composition, while the body of an adult person contains 65% of water. Even human bones contain 22% water. In muscles there are 70%, brain and adipose tissues - 75%. In human blood there is as much as 92%. Most of the water, about 70%, is concentrated inside the cells, while 30% - is extracellular water, which is divided into two parts: a smaller portion, about 7% - is the blood and lymph, and most - interstitial surrounding cells.

And water is not just there to contain, and plays a crucial role in the life of the organism. Definite and constant water content - this is a necessary condition for the existence of a living organism. If you change the quantity of consumed water and salt composition violated the processes of digestion and assimilation of food, hematopoiesis. Without water, the regulation of heat exchange is not possible with the environment and the maintenance of body temperature. Water removes from the body waste products and harmful substances.

That is the main physiological functions of the water - filler, solvent, temperature control and support (transport and information role).

As a filler - water supports not only the external form of individual organs and the appearance of man in general, but also ensures their normal functioning. Therefore, people should maintain the right amount of water in the body. The man quickly feels the violation of water balance. If the amount of water in the human body is reduced by 1-2% (0.5-1L) against the rules, a person feels thirsty, with a decrease by 5-8% (2-3 l), his skin wrinkled, his mouth dry, consciousness is obscured, may appear hallucinations, loss of 10% moisture content (~ 5 L) causes disorder mental apparatus, the violation of the swallowing reflex, with a loss of 14-15% (7-8 l) a person dies.

As a universal solvent - water dissolves nutrients for their penetration into the cell, participates in the chemical processes in digestion and washes away waste products and away from the body through the kidneys and skin, taking with them the harmful substances. In addition, water is of the physical-chemical environment, which can be carried out through most of the reactions of metabolism, providing a continuous process of destruction and reconstruction of living tissues. Thus, water is a basic biological fluid. It is not only an inert environment, it may also enter into combination with other components of living matter.

Water plays a thermostatic role - to maintain the necessary temperature of the body. It does this to its great heat capacity by decreasing the temperature and evaporation from the surface of the body when it is overheated.

Transport function of water is carried out thanks to its high surface tension. Due to this property, it can penetrate into the finest capillaries and intercellular spaces, bringing the cells of the organism and putting the power of these waste products. On the water as the carrier of information - later.

Quality performance of all these vital functions depend on different properties of water, which will be the focus of several subsequent articles.