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| Water makes up to 40-60% of the total body mass. Muscle is 72% water by weight, whereas water represents only 50% of the weight of body fat. Of the total body water, roughly 62% in intracellular (inside the cells) and 38% is extracellular (in the plasma, lymph, and other fluids outside the cell). Water is lost from the body each day in the urine (1-1.5L), through the skin as insensible perspiration (0.5-0.7L), as water vapor in expired air (0.25-0.3L), and in faeces (0.1L)
Food and oxygen are always supplied in the body in aqueous solution and waste products always exit via a watery medium. Water also helps give structure and form to the body and plays a vital part in temperature regulation. Exercise in hot weather greatly increases the body's water requirement. In extreme conditions, the fluid needed can increase to 5 or 6 times above normal. Excessive sweating combined with the ingestion of large volumes of plain water during prolonged exercise sets the stage for hyponatremia or water intoxication. This potentially dangerous condition is related to a decrease in the concentration of extracellular sodium.
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Email: yourpersonaltrainer@ic24.net Last modified: September 06, 2000 Copyright © 2000 Beast Enterprises. All rights reserved.
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