Gaby
How much water does an adult need each day? Scientists have calculated that it’s about two and a half liters.
One liter of the necessary fluids comes from the food we eat. The second liter is made up of a cup of morning tea or coffee, a bowl of soup at lunch, a glass of tea at dinner, and a glass of soda or kvass consumed throughout the day.
But that accounts for only two liters. Where does the extra half liter come from?
It’s produced within the body itself, primarily through the “burning” of fats. So, it turns out that every person is a source of “homemade” water.
Animals can survive for quite a while without food, but they will perish quickly without water. It has been estimated that losing 15 percent of body water can lead to immediate death, while a complete loss of stored proteins and fats can be tolerated for longer.
This means that for mammals, water is more crucial than food. That’s why animals tend to inhabit areas where water is available. Elephants, who love to bathe and struggle with water shortages, can sense rain from over a hundred miles away.
But here’s the astonishing part: gazelles and antelopes living in deserts can go their entire lives without drinking water…
It’s understandable that predatory birds can manage without water, as their prey contains a lot of moisture, satisfying their hydration needs. However, antelopes feed on grass, which isn’t always juicy; the desert doesn’t offer much in the way of hydration. So how do they survive without water?
Nature has taken care of this. The water necessary for their bodies is generated through metabolic processes and the overall functioning of their systems.
