Water makes up about 60 per cent of our body. We should drink a lot to balance our fluid balance. But how much is enough? And why are there different conditions for athletes, babies and seniors?
Water is essential for the human body. After all, it consists of more than half of its total weight. Water fulfils many important tasks in our organism.
Good to know: an adult's body loses around 2.5 litres of water every day (for example through urine, breath and skin). He has to absorb this amount of liquid again so that he does not dry out and excrete pollutants. Drinking lemon water in the morning is good for you.
A person takes in about one litre through food, the remaining 1 to 1.5 litres usually in the form of beverages. This is particularly important because although water is an important part of the human body, humans cannot build up water reserves.
What does drinking 2 litres of water a day do with your body? The Federal Ministry of Nutrition recommends that adults drink an average of 1.5 litres per day. The amount you drink should be significantly higher in dry air, heat and illnesses such as fever and diarrhea.
There are, however, other exceptions: athletes should increase the amount they drink when they are exerting themselves, seniors feel thirsty and babies and toddlers first have to get used to drinking. Therefore, special conditions apply to these three groups with regard to the daily intake:
When exercising, the body uses up more fluids. Depending on the activity, the loss of fluid can be 0.5 and - under extreme loads - up to 3 litres per hour. When the water content of the blood drops, for example through profuse sweating, the pituitary gland releases more hormones, especially the antidiuretic hormone. This leads to less water being excreted via the kidneys.
The emerging feeling of thirst can already be a sign of the onset of dehydration. In the case of athletes, however, it can happen that they do not notice the feeling of thirst, for example in competitive situations. It is therefore particularly important that you get into the habit of drinking enough fluids during training and competitions. In order to remain productive and not dehydrate, athletes should compensate for their loss of fluids as a precaution.
Obesity is prevented
Chinese medicine has been sworn by it for a long time: Immediately after getting up and always shortly after eating, there is a glass of warm water with a teaspoon of honey and lime juice. The ritual is designed to counteract obesity. This thesis is not unfounded: warm water not only boosts digestion but also removes fats from food more easily than its cold equivalent.
Colds are gone
Various studies have shown that warm water, tea and even chicken soup measurably help the nose, throat and gastrointestinal tract to get rid of difficult colds: Instead of 6.2 mm per minute, mucus is transported out of the body at 8.4 mm per minute. Another plus: Bacteria and viruses don't even have a chance to multiply due to the high temperatures.
