WATER AND BODY FLUIDS

Signs of Mild and Severe Dehydration

WATER Adequate Intake (AI) for total water
- Men - 3.7 liters/day
Definition - Women - 2.7 liters/day
● Water covers 60 percent of an adult body’s What factors contribute to the varying water needs per
weight individual?
Sources:
Functions in body fluids - Water, caffeinated beverages, foods, milk, juices,
● Carries nutrients and waste products etc.
● Maintains the structure of large molecules
● Serves as the solvent for minerals (vitamins,
amino acids, glucose, and many other small
molecules)
● Maintains blood volume
● Aids in normal body temperature regulation
● Acts as a lubricant and cushion

Water balance
● Water intake regulation
○ Hypothalamus: initiates drinking

Water imbalances
● Dehydration
● Water intoxication - hyponatremia

Water excretion
● Regulated by the brain and kidneys
○ What effect does antidiuretic hormone
(ADH) have on the kidneys?
● Average water loss per day: 2 ½ liters

Body Fluids
● Electrolyte solutions
● Regulated closely
○ Proteins in the cell membranes - move
ions into or out of the cells
○ Kidneys regulate sodium and water
● How does the body’s total electrolytes compare
to the urinary electrolytes?

Electrolyte mixtures
- Act as buffers
- Kidneys
MABALOT, Christianne Jacob O.
BSN2-E 1
 - Primary role in maintaining acid-base ○ 1500 mg/day (19-50 yr)
balance ● Average US intake - 3,400 mg/day
● What does processing do to the sodium and
MAJOR MINERALS TRACE MINERALS potassium contents of foods
Calcium Chromium ● Top contributors of the sodium
Chloride Copper ○ breads , cold cuts, pizza, poultry, soups,
magnesium Fluoride etc
● What is the correlation between sodium intake
Phosphorus Iodine
and hypertension?
Potassium Iron
○ How To Cut Salt Intake: DASH approach
Sodium Manganese
Sulfur Molybdenum CHLORIDE
Selenium ● Major negative ion of the extracellular fluids
Zinc ● Maintains fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base
balances
● Major source - salt
THE MAJOR MINERALS POTASSIUM
- What is the distinction between major minerals ● Principal positively charged ion inside the cells
and trace minerals ● Maintains fluid and electrolyte balance and cell
- Major minerals are needed in amounts integrity
greater than 100 mg per day; whereas ● Distribution inside and outside the cell
Trace minerals are needed in amounts ○ Homeostasis
less than 100 mg per day.
● Deficiency
- All major minerals
○ Increase in blood pressure, salt
- Influence the body’s fluid balance
sensitivity, kidney stones, bone turnover,
- Have other specific roles
etc.
○ What are the causes of potassium
deficiency?

Toxicity
- Result of overconsumption of salts or
supplements, diseases, or medications

Best sources
- Fresh fruits and vegetables

Prevent and correct hypertension

- Ample potassium with low sodium
- DASH approach
SODIUM
● Principal electrolyte in the extracellular fluid
CALCIUM
● Primary regulator of the extracellular fluid
- Most abundant mineral in the body
volume
- Integral part of bone structure and serves as a
● What are the other roles? calcium bank
○ Sodium is both an electrolyte and - Bone formation
mineral. It helps keep the water (the - Calcium salts from crystals on a protein
amount of fluid inside and outside the collagen matrix
body's cells) and electrolyte balance of - Why is it incorrect to think bones as
the body. Sodium is also important in being inert similar to bones?
how nerves and muscles work. Most of
the sodium in the body (about 85%) is
found in blood and lymph fluid.
● Sodium AI
MABALOT, Christianne Jacob O.
BSN2-E 2
 Calcium is ionized in body fluids
- Regulates the transport of ions across cell
membranes, helps maintain normal blood
pressure, is essential for muscle contraction
(including heartbreak), etc
Calcium is also in charge of disease prevention
High Blood calcium levels ● Hypertension, colon, and rectal cancers
- Deposited into bone
- Calcium RDA
● Adults (19-50 yr) - 1,000 mg/day
Calcium is also a regulatory system to counter low ● Men (51-70) - 1,200 mg/day
blood calcium ● Adults (>70) - 1,200 mg/day
1. Small intestine absorbs more calcium
2. Bones release more calcium into the blood
3. Kidneys excrete less calcium

How is blood calcium affected by a chronic dietary

deficiency of calcium?

Osteoporosis
- Women - may lose up to 20 percent of bone
mass following menopause
- Why is osteoporosis more prevalent in women
than in men?

- Prevention: adequate calcium and PHOSPHORUS

weight-bearing physical activity - Second most abundant mineral in the body
- Found in bones, teeth, and all body tissues
- Part of DNA and RNA
- Best sources:

MABALOT, Christianne Jacob O.

BSN2-E 3
 - Animal proteins, milk, and cheese

MAGNESIUM
● Found in bones, muscles, heart, liver, and other
soft tissues; small amount in body fluids
● Functions
○ Enzyme functions and other cellular
functions: needed for energy release in
cells; required for normal heart function;
etc.
● Deficiency symptoms
○ Low blood calcium; muscle cramps and
seizures
IRON
● Toxicity
● Component in:
○ Rare but can be fatal
○ Hemoglobin
● Present in hard water
○ Myoglobin
● Food sources
● Significant iron loss
○ Dark green, leafy vegetables; nuts;
○ Bleeding
legumes; whole-grain breads and
● What is the role of the transferrin?
cereals
● Hepcidin - central to iron balance

SULFATE
● Neede for sulfur-containing compounds
● Helps shape protein strands
○ Skin, hair, nails, etc
● No recommended intake
● No deficiencies known

SUMMARY OF MAJOR MINERALS

MABALOT, Christianne Jacob O.

BSN2-E 4
WATER AND ELECTROLYRES

MABALOT, Christianne Jacob O.

BSN2-E 5