Water, minerals and trace elements - The role of water in the body

7 important questions on Water, minerals and trace elements - The role of water in the body

What percentage of men's and women's bodies consist of water, and what is the reason for this difference?

60%
50%
The higher the relative amount of body fat, the lower the water percentage; and women generally have higher body fat%

What are the 5 essential functions of water in the body?

  1. Universal solvent for life
  2. Transport of nutrients and molecules via blood
  3. Biochemical reactions in all cells
  4. Buffer for bodily temperature changes
  5. Maintaining electrolyte balance

The first essential function of water is that water is the universal solvent for life. What does this mean for the human body, its cells and bodily proteins?

Nearly all human body cells are mostly made up of water (except fat cells, bone cells, etc);
Nearly all bodily proteins in those cells are dissolved in the water
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Why is the level of the water content of a cell important for the bodily proteins in the cell?

Their being dissolved in the water is important for their function;
If the water content level dropped below a certain level the proteins would lose all function

The second essential function of water is the transport of nutrients and molecules through the blood. How come?

Water is the main component in blood, which is responsible for the transport of molecules throughout the body

The third essential function of water is the abundance of biochemical reactions in the cell. How is water a part of these reactions?

A lot of these biochemical reactions happen through hydrolysis, which happens through a breaking of bonds and inserting water in its place

The fourth essential function of water is the buffering of bodily temperature changes. How does water work as a buffer in this case?

Since water has a high heat capacity, it takes a lot of heat/energy to raise the temperature of water 1 degree C;
The water in the body works as a buffer, because it helps to keep the bodily temperature around the same temperature

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