The Importance of Water in the Human Body<br /><br />Mazin Hadi Kzar<br />Physical Education and Sport Sciences Department, Al-Mustaqbal University College, 51001 Hillah, Babil, Iraq<br />[email protected]<br />Water is an essential nutrient that our body requires every day. Without water human life cannot be sustained. Water deprivation kills faster than lack of any other nutrient. People do not think of water as a nutrient and don’t realize the important role of water in the body functions.<br />Water facilitates the transportation system of the body. It is the medium by which all the other nutrients and other essential elements are distributed to every part of the body. <br />The body looses water all day long. Water is lost through evaporation of sweat which keeps the body cool. Body also looses water in the form of sweat during exercise and vigorous physical activity. It is also lost as urine which accounts for three quarters of the body water loss. Infrequent urination or dark yellow urine indicates dehydration and means that we should consume more water.<br />Water comes from a variety of sources. All beverages, juices and fluids we consume are sources of water for our body. Even solid food contains water. Vegetables such as cucumber, lettuce and celery may have up to 90% water. Protein rich food such as meat and fish could contain two-thirds to one half of their weight of water. Even carbohydrates like grains, although do not appear to be watery could contain water as much as one third of their weight. Fats such as butter or margarine contain very little water. Some water may come from within our body because of energy metabolism but the <br />amount is insignificant.<br />Keywords: importance,water , body