 |
 |
  |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||
 |
   |
| Beat the Heat with Plenty of Water by Katie L. Reim | |
 | |
| Posted by Agricultural Communication Services on Friday, Jul. 23, 2004 | |
|
STILLWATER, Okla. -There seems to be nothing better than a tall glass of cool water to quench one's thirst on a hot summer day. In fact, there is nothing more important than water for preventing dehydration. "Water is more critical to life than food," said Janice Hermann, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service nutrition education specialist. "Water is in every cell of the body. About 60 percent of an adult's body is water and even more of a child's body weight is water." Water is essential because the body's requirement for water is greater than its ability to produce it. The body uses water for almost all its functions, including digestion, absorption, circulation, excretion, transporting nutrients, building tissues, maintaining blood vessels and maintaining body temperature. Hermann said that most people usually underestimate how much water they need to refill body supplies. Thirst is the primary way of indicating a need for water, unfortunately, the onset of thirst lags behind the body's need for water. The body's water comes from three sources: first the body makes water and the rest comes from food and beverages. Liquids are easy-to-recognize sources of water, but solid foods such as meats, fruits and vegetables also provide water. "Adults need at least six to eight cups of water each day," said Hermann. "Water can be taken in many forms such as water, fruit juice, milk, soups, coffee, tea or soft drinks. Because caffeine is a diuretic and can cause water loss, fluids that do not contain caffeine are recommended instead of caffeinated beverages." During hot summer days, water is especially important because dehydration can be a major life-threatening problem. While the body can stand to lose much of its fat and carbohydrate stores, a loss of only 5 percent of body water can result in some signs of heat exhaustion. A loss of 10 percent of body water can lead to heat stroke and circulatory collapse, said Hermann. During hot weather or physical activity, plain cool water is best for replacing body water because it can be absorbed quickly. "Juices, soft drinks and other liquids containing more than 2.5 percent sugar take longer than water to leave the stomach," said Hermann. "This takes fluids away from the other parts of the body and could result in lightheadedness, if combined with heavy activity. It is a good idea to spread out fluid replacement, drinking fluids before, during and after physical activity or time in the sun." The guidelines for fluid consumption during physical activities include two cups of fluid about two hours before activity, followed by two cups fluid about 15 to 20 minutes after the activity. Hermann also said a tip for replacing water lost through perspiration is to weigh before and after being physically active, use the guide of two cups of water to replace 1 pound lost. If someone lost 2 pounds they would need 4 cups of fluid to replace the water lost. ### Oklahoma State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, State and Local Governments Cooperating: The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, or status as a veteran, and is an equal opportunity employer. |
|
 |
|
 |
||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
 |
||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
