Water is used for many different things and humans highly ignore the importance of water and how it affects the body without proper consumption. Water helps food get through the intestines, lubricates the joints, protects the spinal cord and other tissues, and regulates body temperature. If the body consumes any type of food with high water content it can get water from that source, but that is not enough. A normal person should drink half their body weight in ounces but an active person should drink that and more. Surprisingly, all non-alcoholic drinks can help people get their daily water intake if water is boring to taste. Caffeine and sodium contained in soft drinks can cause the body to lose water though.

Water helps filter out the kidneys so they can properly dispose of waste. If water consumption is low, the kidneys will not filter out waste and therefore it will build up inside the body along with excess fluid. This can lead to kidney disease, and when untreated the kidneys may fail. Urinary tract infections are the second most common type of infection in the body and can be prevented by drinking lots of water. Kidney stones can result from lack of water as well as increasing the risk of chronic kidney disease. Dehydration is another important aspect of not drinking enough water. This can cause the body to lose electrolytes which carries electrical signals to the cells. In severe cases dehydration can cause kidney failure.

An insignificant amount of water also affects other things as well, not just the kidneys. More than 90 percent of blood is water, and when the body does not have enough water, blood thickens. The skin can prematurely wrinkle, and be more vulnerable to skin disorders. Dehydration can restrict airways and cause allergies and asthma to get worse as well as impair cognitive ability. Dehydration also leads to an overly acidic stomach which causes heartburn and stomach ulcers. Joints can become less good at shock absorption causing shock pain due to the fact that cartilage is 80 percent water. Constipation can occur because the bowel does not function properly without water.

Americans do not drink enough water. At least seven percent of adults do not drink pure water at all on a daily basis. Others drink four cups of water or less a day without the consumption of fruit and vegetables which also have a high water content. Overall people are risking their health by not drinking enough fluids.

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