What is the Most Common Nutritional Deficiency?
By Lydia Wallie, Nutritional Director
It’s the number 1 nutrient in our body and makes up more of our body than anything else (at least, it should!). (1) The answer is water.
It’s been estimated by Dr. Zach Bush that everyone is dehydrated. (2) It’s also difficult to stay alive longer than three days without water, which makes this nutrient an extremely important part of our health and wellbeing. (3) Let’s focus on understanding more about water and its important roles in the body so we can function at our best.
Water makes up roughly 60% of our bodies, (1) so improving our total body water serves the purpose of benefitting all our body systems!
What makes up our muscle mass? 75% WATER. (4)
What makes up our brains? 80% WATER.
What makes up our lungs? 90% WATER.
What makes up our blood? 83% WATER.
What makes up our skin? 64% WATER.
What makes up our bones? 30% WATER. (5)
Based on these percentages, you can imagine the importance of water’s role in the body and the significant impact dehydration can make.
The functions of water in the body include…
Improving oxygen delivery to cells
Transporting nutrients
Enabling cellular hydration
Moistening oxygen for easier breathing
Cushioning bones and joints
Absorbing shocks to joints and organs
Regulating body temperature
Removing waste
Flushing toxins
Preventing tissues from sticking
Lubricating joints
Improving cell-to-cell communication
Maintaining the normal electrical properties of cells
Empowering the body’s natural healing process (6)
Now that we know how important water is to our body’s physiology, how do we know if we’re dehydrated? We’ll cover that in the next post!
Source List:
(3) https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325174.php
(4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3707098/
(5) https://brainmd.com/blog/6-amazing-health-benefits-of-drinking-water/
(6) Nutritional Therapy Association: Module 8, Hydration