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University of Phoenix/ Axia College
SCI 241
July 1, 2009
The Human Body and Water
The Most Important Nutrient Of all vitamins and minerals in the human body water is the most important. It is the one essential nutrient that the human body cannot survive without. The adult human body is comprised of approximately 60% water, the body of a small child, infants for example is comprised of approximately 70% water. Water is found throughout the body in every cell and every organ.
How the Body Uses Water The adult human body is comprised of 70% water all of that water is put to use by the body to perform many functions. The human body uses water to lubricate and cleanse internal and external surfaces, it is used to cushion the different compartments of the body to protect the organs of the body from damage or shock. It can also be found in the joints of the body and in eyeballs as well. The amniotic sac is filled with amniotic fluid that protect the fetus while in the womb. Water is the major component of blood, blood is used to convey and remove nutrient and waste throughout the body. The human body also uses water as a solvent to help break down amino acids, glucose, minerals and many other substances that are extracted from food and needed by the body. Water is also used by the body to regulate core temperature. Water is a very good conductor of heat and the fact that it dissipates this heat slowly makes it very well suited for protecting the body from changes in temperature and for regulating body temperature. Because blood is mainly made up of water it works very well for cooling, when the body starts to become over heated blood vessels near the surface dilate allowing the blood to flow closer to the surface of the skin at this point the body utilizes the skin much in the same way a car uses a radiator to cool itself. The opposite happens if the body starts to become cold, blood
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