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The importance of water in the human body. Video
By itself, water has no nutritional value: it contains no proteins, fats and carbohydrates, no vitamins and many other useful substances. But its role for life, sometimes decisive, can hardly be overestimated. And the human body itself consists of more than half of water.
How long can you live without water
How many people can live without food and water
Fasting depends on many factors: initial weight, health status, time of year, and even blood type. According to scientists, a healthy person can live without food for up to eight weeks. People with obesity, starving under the supervision of doctors, the period of harmless refusal to eat is even longer. At the same time, it is necessary to get enough water and replenish the reserves of vitamins.
Without water, a person can no longer live so long. The maximum period, with rare exceptions, is no more than three days. This is explained by the fact that water takes part in all the most important metabolic processes in the body. With a lack of fluid, all metabolic processes decrease, the blood thickens and ceases to deliver oxygen and nutrients to vital organs.
Prolonged dehydration leads to irreversible changes in the body, some of which may be incompatible with life
Why is fasting and refusal to drink dangerous?
Any unusual restrictions are stressful for the body. During fasting, carbohydrates are consumed first, then stored fats, and last but not least, proteins. When all reserves are depleted, metabolic disorders will occur and gradual cell death will begin.
Avoiding food can have a number of unpleasant consequences, such as:
- weakness
- arrhythmia
- muscle spasms
- hallucinations
- pain in parts of the body
If irritability, general weakness and any other alarming symptoms appear, fasting should be stopped.
But dehydration is much more dangerous for the body than starvation. Here dryness of mucous surfaces, impaired urination, arrhythmia are observed. Confusion, weakness and fainting appear. In the last stage of dehydration, the skin turns blue, and shock sets in. Without medical intervention, this condition ends in death.
Excessive dehydration is often complicated by kidney damage
To prevent dehydration, you need to regularly consume small amounts of fluids, regardless of your well-being and level of activity. The need to drink increases with intense exertion, in hot weather, with acute diarrhea and vomiting, or copious flow of urine. The body leaves not only water, but also salts, so it is necessary to replenish the loss of electrolytes as well. The corresponding solutions can be purchased at the pharmacy.