Nigerians seem to carry Pure water everywhere they go these days. In
fact, it has become the second most popular drink (behind soft drinks) if not the 1st. But
water lovers got a jolt recently
when we heard that a new report had found that
the benefits of drinking water may have been oversold. Apparently, the old
suggestion to drink eight glasses a day was nothing more than a guideline, not
based on scientific evidence.
But don't put your water bottle or glass down just yet. While we may not
need eight glasses, there are plenty of reasons to drink water. In fact,
drinking water (either plain or in the form of other fluids or foods) is
essential to your health.
1. Drinking Water Helps Maintain the Balance of Body Fluids. Your
body is composed of about 60% water. The functions of these bodily fluids
include digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation
of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature.
When you're low on fluids, the brain triggers the body's thirst mechanism.
And unless you are taking medications that make
you thirsty, Guest says, you should listen to those cues and get yourself a
drink of water, juice, milk, coffee -- anything but alcohol.
"Alcohol interferes with the brain and kidney communication and causes
excess excretion of fluids which can then lead to
dehydration"
2. Water Can Help Control Calories. For years, dieters have been
drinking lots of water as a
weight loss strategy. While water doesn't have any magical effect on
weight loss, substituting it for higher calorie beverages can certainly
help.
"What works with weight loss is if you choose water or a non-caloric
beverage over a caloric beverage and/or eat a diet higher in water-rich foods
that are healthier, more filling, and help you trim calorie intake,"
3. Water Helps Energize Muscles. Cells that don't maintain their
balance of fluids and electrolytes shrivel, which can result in muscle
fatigue. "When muscle cells don't have adequate fluids, they don't work
as well and performance can suffer," says Guest. Drinking enough fluids is important when exercising
4. Water Helps Keep Skin Looking Good. Your skin contains plenty of water, and functions as a protective barrier to prevent excess fluid loss. But don't expect over-hydration to erase wrinkles or fine lines, Dehydration makes your skin look more dry and wrinkled, which can be improved with proper hydration.
5. Water Helps Your Kidneys. Body fluids transport waste products in and out of cells. The main toxin in the body is blood urea nitrogen, a water-soluble waste that is able to pass through the kidneys to be excreted in the urine. Your kidneys do an amazing job of cleansing and ridding your body of toxins as long as your intake of fluids is adequate.
6. Water Helps Maintain Normal Bowel Function. Adequate hydration keeps things flowing along your gastrointestinal tract and prevents constipation. When you don't get enough fluid, the colon pulls water from stools to maintain hydration -- and the result is constipation.
Have a Healthy life ahead dear readers.
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