Hydration Research Paper

The Effects and Benefits of Proper Hydration on the Human Body The essentiality of water for life is inarguable. It makes up roughly sixty percent of the human body and affects every aspect of human health. Humanity depends on water for survival, but staying hydrated is essential for so much more than just keeping us alive. The benefits of drinking recommended amounts of water, or staying hydrated, can be seemingly endless. Something as cheap, easy, and effective as drinking eight glasses of water a day can bring about amazing changes in human health that include everything from weight loss to increased cancer immunity (Kalman, 2010). The list of health benefits that drinking water can accomplish goes on for pages, and it is inarguably the
This means less oxygen for muscles and the brain, causing a significant loss in cognition and energy. In 2005 Susan Shirreffs analyzed several studies related to athletic performance and hydration. The results of these studies vividly illustrate how dehydration impairs all aspects of athletics. Experiments were conducted that had athletes run for several miles at certain levels of hydration and dehydration. Shirreffs found that with as little as a two percent reduction in body mass due to water loss athletes performed significantly worse as their dehydration continued. Not only did dehydration cause a reduction in athleticism, but it was found motivation to exercise was influenced (2011). This is due to waters affect on endurance and blood flow. Without proper hydration blood flow is slowed and less oxygen is carried throughout the muscles. This causes significant and noticeable pain due to the cramping of muscles and the lessening of joint lubrication. Athletes studied with proper hydration were found to perform at much higher standards and with increased motivation. This means that by drinking water athletic performance can be increased exponentially (Kalman, 2010; Keneflick, 2012). All studies in this article point towards hydration being a critical factor for athletes to perform efficiently. Also, studies were cited that concluded hydration has a
One being how much water to drink daily. Many professionals feel that the amount is linked directly to exercise and activity, while others believe it should be a flat amount. This is a very important topic not only because drinking the proper amount of water will bring about the many positives to health that this paper discussed, but that over hydration can be very detrimental. Drinking too much water can overly thin the blood and be fatal in large amounts. While it is adamantly agreed that water should be consumed throughout the day and not in one enormous sitting, the amount to drink is largely up for debate. Until recently the Institute of Medicine refused to list a specific amount of water for daily recommendation. Many researchers in the field fear that establishing a set amount that is too low or high would lead people to not drink enough and suffer from dehydration or to drink too much and potentially harm themselves. More research on this topic needs to be conducted but evidence seems to point towards every individual requiring different amounts daily for ideal