Lecture 7 Flashcards
how long can you survive without water?
a few days
what % of an adults body weight is water?
60%
water characteristics
- found in blood and cells all throughout body
- participates in many chemical reactions
- delivers nutrients and removes waste from cells
functions of water
- universal solvent
- body’s cleansing agent
- incompressibility
- lubricates
- role in thermoregulation
water as a universal solvent?
- dissolves amino acids, glucose, minerals etc for transport
- fatty substances get packaged with water-soluble proteins for transport in blood and lymph
water as the body’s cleansing agent
- nitrogen waste dissolve in blood and must be removed
- kidneys filter these wastes and mix them with water to be excreted as urine
waters incompressibility
- enables it to act as a lubricant and cushion for joints
- cushions sensitive tissues (spinal cord and fetus)
- fills eye keeping optimal pressure
water lubricate function
mucus moistens the digestive tract, respiratory tract, and all tissues
waters role in thermoregulation
- sweat cools the body (evaporation)
- blood routed through capillaries in skin gets rid of excess heat
- cooled blood flows back to body’s core
water balance
water intake needs to equal water loss
what happens if water intake doesn’t equal water loss?
dehydration or water intoxication/over-hydration can occur
dehydration progression of symptoms
- thirst
- weakness
- exhaustion and delirium
- death
loss of <5% bodyweight due to dehydration symptoms
- headache
- fatigue
- confusion
- forgetfulness
- elevated heart rate
what may chronic low fluid increase likelihood of?
- bladder and colon cancer
- heart attack
- gallstones
- kidney stones
- urinary tract infections
water intoxication
very dangerous dilution of body fluids due to excessive water ingestion (gallons or more in few hours)
symptoms of water intoxication
- headache
- muscular weakness
- lack of concentration
- poor memory
- loss of appetite
- convulsions and death
body and sodium
- high-salt meals lead to water retention
- water is lost over a 1-2 day period as sodium is excreted
bodys water content
varies by kilograms at a time
hypothalamus
- major role in monitoring blood concentration
- high blood concentration (salt) or low blood pressure signals thirst
ignoring thirst
leads to dehydration
- drink whenever thirsty to replace lost fluids
older adults and thirst
thirst is blunted in older adults so they should drink regularly throughout the day
prolonged vomiting or diarrhea
- could result in fluid and electrolyte imbalance
- life-threatening disruption of heartbeat
how much water should females drink per day?
2.7 L/day
how much water should males drink per day?
3.7 L/day