How Much Weight is Water Weight
Since our birth, the fact that remains constant for life is that at least half of our body weight consists of water weight. When you take birth, water weight takes up more than half of your body’s weight.
However, the actual percentage can vary per individual, as their total weight, age and gender determines. The only fact that all us humans share is that half of our body weight throughout life or most of it, will consist of water.
The average percentage from our total body weight that depicts the water weight will always be above fifty percent. However, you must also note that with the course of time, this percentage may decline due to health or medical conditions.
Water- How much is Inside You
If you were to list down the elements you absolutely needed to survive, what would you name? Surely water and food. The truth is that no living thing can survive without water and it can even occupy 90% of the entire weight of some other living organisms.
In case of adult humans, up to sixty percent of their bodies can consist of water. The experts on biological chemistry tell us that our heart and brain consist of 73% of water, and our lungs contain around 83% of water. Our kidneys and muscles contain around 79% while our skin contains nearly 64%. In fact, not even our bones are free of water weight and contain approximately 31% of water.
This is primarily the reason why healthcare providers emphasize the importance of consuming enough water in a day. We need a particular amount of water intake daily to survive. However, the adequate amount for each person varies on the basis of their gender, age and living conditions.
For adult females, the average daily water consumption must be around 2.2 liters while for the male adults, 3 liters will suffice. Another noteworthy fact over here is that we do not necessarily need to drink the exact amount of water our body needs in a day. The foods we eat in a day also contain some amount of water, which add to the required percentage.
Water Weight Percentages
When an infant takes birth, nearly ¾ of its body weight consists of water during the first couple of months. However, as the baby continue to grow till his/her first birthday, the percentage keeps declining.
A couple of factors here are responsible for the declining water weight a person advances in age. The primary factor is the accumulation of more body fat as a person grows. When a person keeps losing fat-free mass, his/her body declines in water weight too.
Let’s take a look at some essential statistics of water weight in the total body weight at different ages:
- Males in the age group of twelve to eighteen years will have an average water weight of 59%. The ideal range for this age group is around 52% to 66%.
- Males between nineteen to fifteen years will have an average water weight of 56%. The ideal water weight range for this age group is 47% to 67%.
- Males between fifty one and above years of age will have an average water weight of 47%. The ideal range for this age group is 39% to 57%.
- Females between twelve to eighteen years of age will have an average water weight of 56%. The ideal water weight range for this age group is 49% to 63%.
- Females between nineteen to fifty years of age will have an average water weight of 50%. The ideal range is 41% to 60% for this age group.
- Females of fifty one years and above will have an average of 47% of water weight. The ideal range for this age group is 39% to 57%.
Why do our Bodies need so much Water?
Now that we have learnt some vital statistics regarding our average water weight, do you wonder why our bodies need so much water?
Here are some essential functions you must take note of. Water serves these following vital functions in our body and is the reason that we are able to live day by day:
- Water lubricates our joints
- It creates our saliva
- Water also functions as a vital shock for the fetus, spinal cord and brain
- Through water, we flush a lot of the wastes from our systems through urination
- Water acts as a vital transporter of protein and carbohydrates. Our body takes these two essentials from our food and water then metabolizes and transports the same.
- Water helps us in respiration and sweating and this further regulates our internal body temperature.
- The life of each of our cells inside depends on water as the most vital nutrient. In fact, water is their first building material inside.
- Water is an extremely essential fluid in pregnant women. It forms a protective surrounding of the brain and baby inside a woman’s womb.
- It also protects your sensitive tissues.
Cellular Water Storage in our Bodies
Regardless of wherever water is present inside our bodies, it will store at a cellular level inside. It sores in:
- The extracellular fluid, the one you can find outside the cells (ECF)
- The intracellular fluid, the one you can find inside the cells (ICF)
Hence, approximately two-thirds of your body’s stores within your cells while the remaining third portion stores in extracellular fluids. Certain fluids play an extremely vital role in balancing the ECF and ICF, including sodium and potassium minerals.
Final Thoughts
It is important to maintain the optimal water weight range as per your gender or age. You can discover your ideal water weight using online calculators or by simply consulting your healthcare provider. You can consume adequate water amounts through your daily diet and beverage consumptions.
It is also highly important for everyone to determine their ideal water weight range and daily water needs according to their activity and health level in addition to weight, gender and age. When you know your optimal range, it becomes easier to design a diet pattern and lifestyle focusing on your water needs.
Your body also has a natural mechanism for maintain healthy water levels. It does so by excreting the excess water through urination. Hence, greater consumption of fluids and water will produce more urine and help you regulate a healthier water weight.
https://www.healthline.com/health/body-water-percentage#maintenance
https://vitalrecord.tamhsc.edu/you-asked-what-is-water-weight/
