InBody USA - What You Need to Know About Hydration and Your Body

February 5, 2020

What Makes Up Your Body Water | Imbalances In Your Body Water | Dehydration and Overhydration | Finding Your Balance With Hydration

Water is a major part of your body: they make up 79% of your muscles, 73% of your brain, and even 31% of your bones. Overall your body weight can be 45-65% water. Your body water percentage is influenced by your age, gender, and fitness level. Even though you are made up of mostly water, how much do you really know about the effect this major element has on your body?

For example, did you know your hydration status is equally as important as getting enough rest and quality food for muscle growth and improved physical performance?

Read on to learn more about body water, the effect of dehydration and overhydration, and tips to keep you in balance. 

Body Water, Defined

Your body water can be found inside not only in your blood, but in your muscle tissue, your body fat, your organs, and inside every cell in your body.  

The amount of water in your body depends on various factors including age, gender, physical activity, and even where you live. It’s often referred to as Total Body Water (TBW).

For example, infants are born with roughly 78% of their entire weight being water. By one year of age, TBW decreases to about 65% of weight. In healthy adult males, TBW averages 60% of their weight because they generally carry more lean mass. On the other hand, women will see that roughly 55% of their weight is TBW.

Your TBW can be further segmented into two compartments: extracellular water (ECW) and intracellular water (ICW).